As part of the NBA’s milestone diamond 75th anniversary season, City Edition uniforms across the league will pay homage to the extraordinary players, moments and eras that have shaped the NBA basketball legacy for each franchise. Each Nike NBA City Edition uniform design is meant to represent the "ultimate basketball mixtape" for each franchise. Each edition features nods to pivotal moments from the teams' respective histories.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' new 2021-22 Nike NBA Moments Mixtape City Edition uniform, which features a retrospective design inspired by standout Cavaliers moments throughout the franchise’s 52-year-long history.
“As Cleveland looks forward to hosting the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend in February and celebrating the league’s 75th Anniversary Season, the debut of the Cavs Moments Mixtape uniform is significant because it truly encompasses the journey of our own franchise that began more than 50 years ago,” said Tracy Marek, Cavaliers chief marketing officer. “Every element of this year’s City Edition uniform was designed to illustrate those key moments throughout the history of Cavs basketball that are remembered and cherished by fans of all ages.”
The 2021-22 City Edition is a one-season uniform that joins the Association (white), Icon (wine) and Statement (black) uniforms for the 2021-22 season. Designed in collaboration with Nike, the Mixtape City Edition weaves the threads of the past into the future by remixing classic uniform designs associated with five major moments in franchise history into a new modernized feel.
 |
The team's first playoff series in franchise history was against the Washington Bullets in 1976. The seven-game series was highlighted by three last-second game-winning shots by the Cavaliers, who went on to win 4-3 in the series that became known as the “Miracle of Richfield.” The wine and gold colorway of the 2021-22 City Edition uniform is a callback to the legendary season and displays the sword-wielding Cavalier logo across the chest. Wine, gold and white hash marks inspired by the iconic design of the team’s 1974-1981 uniforms line the neck and arms of the shell and are also featured on the front, back and sides of the uniform shorts.
Cleveland advanced to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 1976 after defeating the Boston Celtics 4-3 in the 1992 NBA Playoffs. In Game 7 of their semifinal win, six players scored in double figures for the Cavaliers who shot .590 from the field and finished with a franchise postseason-record 42 assists on 49 baskets. The waistband of the wine City Edition shorts features the throwback Cavs “V-basket” logo featured on the uniforms worn by the team during this postseason run.
The team returned to the city in 1994 to play at the brand-new Gund Arena in downtown Cleveland after two decades of playing more than 20 miles away at the Coliseum in Richfield. The team’s much-anticipated homecoming introduced a fresh new identity for the team and ushered in a new era of Cavaliers basketball in the heart of their namesake city. The player number on the 2021-22 City Edition uniform appears in a gold and white inline typeface that is inspired by the black, orange and powder blue uniforms that originally debuted during the inaugural season at Gund Arena. The right shorts panel also features the team's basket logo that was used from 1994 until the team’s rebrand in 2003, and the Cleveland skyline can also be found on the short vent as another nod to the return to downtown 27 seasons ago.
 |
In Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers shut out the Detroit Pistons in a 109-107 double-overtime win and would go on to close out the series in Game 6 in Cleveland. The team played their first NBA finals game in Cleveland on June 12, 2007, against the San Antonio Spurs. This would be the first of five NBA Finals appearances for the Cavaliers. Inspired by the uniforms worn by the team in the 2007 NBA Finals, the side paneling of the shorts features a satin material rather than the standard Dri-Fit material.
Trailing 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals, Cleveland avoided elimination by defeating the Golden State Warriors 112-97 in Game 5. The win was a historical moment for the Cavaliers, who became the first team in NBA history to overcome that deficit to win the NBA Championship in Game 7 on June 19, 2016. Above the uniform jock tag, seven diamond stones illustrate the Cavs 2016 NBA Finals wins as gold and losses as silver and the historic 3-1 comeback. Below the jock tag is “2016” in wine and gold, with the NBA logo in place as the zero. The Cavaliers “C” logo that was displayed on the front of the black Statement uniforms during Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals can also be found on the left shorts panel.
“Nike partnered with the Cavaliers to design uniforms that honor their history from a Miracle to a title for Believeland,” says Aaron Cain, VP/GM, Men’s, at NIKE, Inc. “From a classic Cavalier on the chest to the historic logos that Cleveland will always remember, we can’t wait for the Cavs and their fans to wear them as they begin to write the story of the franchise’s future.”
 |
A special City Edition court has been designed to accompany the team’s uniform during designated Mixtape nights throughout the 2021-22 season. To complement the design of the uniform a wine and gold Cavalier logo, inspired by the franchise’s original logo and homecourt, is displayed at half court.
A natural wood perimeter frames the light wood basketball court. The lane is a bold gold with wine accents and Cleveland Cavaliers is stretched across each baseline also in wine. The Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse logo can be read on each half court. The east sideline features the Betway logo on each half court. On the half court line, the NBA logo is bookended by the Richfield Coliseum logo on the left and the Gund Arena logo on the right. The west sideline features the diamond stones, also found on the jersey jock, to illustrate the 2016 NBA Finals wins as gold and losses as silver. These stones symbolize the first time in NBA history that a team had overcome a 3-1 deficit to be named NBA Champions.
The Cavaliers will debut the nostalgic Moments Mixtape City Edition uniform along with their new City Edition homecourt for the first time on Saturday, November 13 vs. Boston Celtics at 7:00 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland will also wear the alternate uniform for 10 additional games throughout the 2021-22 season. In addition to its November 13th debut, fans can look forward to these upcoming Mixtape City Edition Nights:
Monday, November 15 vs. Boston Celtics
Thursday, November 18 vs.Golden State Warriors
Saturday, December 11 vs. Sacramento Kings
Monday, December 13 vs. Miami Heat
Sunday, January 2 vs. Indiana Pacers
Tuesday, January 4 vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Wednesday, February 9 vs. San Antonio Spurs
Monday, March 14 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Wednesday, March 16 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Sunday, April 2 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Thanks for reading! If you appreciate Right Down Euclid’s coverage of the Cavs, you can help make it happen.
It takes resources to report on games and travel to watch the team in their push for the playoffs. Can you pitch in a few dollars to go towards more original, in-depth stories and analysis?
