Wayback Wednesday: Retro Jerseys in NBA Live 10
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the selection of retro jerseys in NBA Live 10.
Some basketball gamers have declared NBA Live 10 to be the best game in the NBA Live series. While I’ve definitely come to enjoy it a lot more over the years and would agree that it’s the last really good release in the series, I still give the nod to NBA Live 06 PC as the best all-around hoops sim from EA Sports. With that being said, NBA Live 10 is very solid and a lot of fun on the sticks, had some great ideas with adidas LIVE Run and Dynamic Season, and even brought back a standalone Playoffs mode. Unfortunately we lost the All-Star Weekend, but Dynasty mode was still there.
And of course, NBA Live 10 brought back retro jerseys! The lack of historical content during the seventh generation NBA Live titles was undoubtedly a knock on the series, especially since Legends and throwback uniforms were still being featured in the sixth generation versions and their PC ports. However, one of the goals for NBA Live 10 was to celebrate basketball culture; an initiative that not only led to the addition of The Hangar, but also the return of retro jerseys. It’s a part of the game that I really enjoy whenever I’m on an NBA Live 10 kick, so let’s take a look back…way back…
Once again, striving for authenticity and celebrating basketball culture was a one of the key goals that the development team at EA Canada had for NBA Live 10. This was emphasised by the “Culture Trailer“, which boasted that NBA Live 10 would feature over 90 new special/alternate and retro jerseys, as well as more than 500 shoes (including player-exclusive colourways). It also revealed that the game would include signature pre-game rituals, and more than 75 stars would be sporting authentic tattoos. The improvements to gameplay were obviously paramount – and it’s a real shame that NBA Elite 11 squandered them – but these authentic details were definitely welcome.
A total of 75 retro jerseys were included in NBA Live 10. Six of these were unlocked via codes that were released as the uniforms were worn on Hardwood Classics Nights during the 2010 season. 29 of the 30 teams had retro jerseys to wear in NBA Live 10, with the Charlotte Bobcats being the only club without any throwbacks. Their original jerseys could’ve been included, but there wasn’t really any nostalgia for them at that point, so it’s understandable that they were left out. With far more iconic retro jerseys to choose from, I’d suggest that they weren’t widely missed! It would’ve been nice to have Legends as well as the retro jerseys, but it was still great to have the latter back.
The 80s and 90s were well-represented in the array of retro jerseys in NBA Live 10. This was sensible, as the key demographic at the time was nostalgic for those decades. Additionally, they were the jerseys teams often wore on Hardwood Classics Nights, and they were popular fan apparel. However, the game also included throwbacks from the 60s and 70s, and a few from the 2000s. Thanks to the Raptors sporting it as their Hardwood Classic uniform that season, we even had the Toronto Huskies’ jersey from the 40s! It wasn’t the largest selection of retro jerseys featured in a video game, but it was enough to change up the aesthetic and pay tribute to NBA history as we played.
Many of the retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 were obvious choices and have frequently been featured in video games over the years, but there were also some big surprises. The Oklahoma City Thunder having not one but two Seattle Supersonics throwbacks was easily the biggest surprise, especially given the recency and conditions of the team’s relocation. I doubt that it was enough to encourage diehard Sonics fans to play with OKC in NBA Live 10, but it was (sort of) a way of bringing the team back! I’ll admit that I’m partial to the jerseys that the Supersonics wore from 1996 to 2001, but I can’t deny that both of the throwbacks that were chosen are probably more popular.
Another surprising inclusion was the New Orleans Hornets’ red alternate Oklahoma City jersey, worn once for charity on Valentine’s Day 2007. The jersey was featured in 2007 season games, but NBA Live 10 is the only other game that officially includes it (it’s apparently an unused file in handful of titles). New Orleans also has the original Charlotte Hornets jerseys, as well as their short-lived alternate from the mid 90s. In reality, the New Orleans Hornets understandably didn’t really celebrate their Charlotte era with the Bobcats in their old city, but it was cool they had those jerseys in video games. As an aside, Charlotte getting the Hornets name back in 2014 was for the best!
For the most part, I love the 90s jerseys that were chosen for NBA Live 10. On top of the Hornets’ throwbacks, their late 80s expansion brethren – the Timberwolves, Heat, and Magic – all have their iconic first uniforms. The Raptors also have their original jerseys, while the Nets, Mavericks, Warriors, and Pacers have the uniforms they were sporting in the mid 90s, i.e. when I really got into basketball. Phoenix has the sunburst jerseys, including the black alternate. The Rockets have the jerseys from their back-to-back championships, while the Trail Blazers have Drexler era unis. The Bulls have their black pinstriped alternate uniform, and Washington has the final Bullets jerseys.
Those Bullets jerseys are definitely an interesting choice, as the more patriotic designs from the 70s tend to be the favoured throwbacks. After all, they were in use during the club’s only championship season, several NBA Legends have worn them (including Michael Jordan as a throwback during his Wizards stint), and the 90s designs are not synonymous with success. I was still glad to see them in NBA Live 10 though, owing to my mid 90s nostalgia, and the fact that a few players in the game did actually wear them early on in their careers. Indeed, the selection of retro jerseys from that golden decade is what inspired me to create my “Ode to the 90s” NBA Live 10 highlight reel!
There were great picks with the 80s throwbacks, too. Atlanta naturally represented the Dominique Wilkins era. The Celtics green Larry Bird won three titles in was a no-brainer, as were the jerseys the champion Pistons wore. The rainbow skyline Nuggets jerseys aren’t my favourite designs, but they are iconic, so it was the right call. The Jazz’s primarily purple jerseys they wore into the 90s, and the earlier green version, hit the right note. The Cavaliers’ uniforms from the early Mark Price/Brad Daugherty era and forest green Bucks jerseys were solid choices. The 76ers’ 80s throwback was a Hardwood Classic in 2010, and even without MJ, those old Bulls jerseys still rock.
Although they’re not all labelled as such, quite a few of the retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 had been worn on Hardwood Classics Nights in 2009 or earlier, which is probably why they were chosen. This also accounts for some of the throwbacks that aren’t part of a matching set, though a few former Hardwood Classics Nights jerseys were paired up with the appropriate home or road uniform. In any event, it’s why you’ll find some retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 that you might not expect to see, such as the San Diego throwbacks for the Clippers, or the Knicks’ uniforms from the early 80s. All things considered, they wouldn’t be my first choice of retro jerseys for either of those teams.
I’m also not all that enthusiastic about the Spurs having 80s throwbacks, though their silver home jersey from their ABA years – another former Hardwood Classics Nights uniform – was a welcome inclusion. Washington’s Zephyrs jersey is kind of enjoyable as a rarity (and was worn during the 2009 season), though I’d have preferred the 70s Bullets jerseys. I’d have also chosen the original Vancouver Grizzlies uniforms over the ones they wore during their final season in Canada, but they’re better than nothing. Although I generally like the selection of retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 and certainly appreciate having them, there absolutely are some that I’d replace, given the choice.
Once again, I’d prefer the original Vancouver Grizzlies jerseys to the ones from the 2001 season. I think the Spurs’ uniforms from the 90s would’ve been more relevant; either that, or having matching ABA era throwbacks. The Knicks arguably have the worst jerseys in team history as their throwbacks; their 80s or 90s uniforms would’ve been the better choice! I understand the Kings’ jerseys from the 70s had been worn on previous Hardwood Classics Nights, but by 2010, there was far more nostalgia for the ones they’d worn from 1994 to 2002. I’d have also chosen the Clippers’ 90s jerseys or Buffalo Braves uniforms, even though they’d recently worn the San Diego throwback.
The most disappointing retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 by far though belong to the Lakers. The then-defending champions have the original blue jerseys that the team wore after moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. It’s a nice tribute to the early days of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor in LA, but they’re not the team’s most exciting designs. Moreover, it’s a missed opportunity to match the Celtics’ 80s throwbacks with the familiar purple and gold of the Showtime Lakers; particularly since the teams recently renewed their rivalry in 2008, and would face each other again in the 2010 NBA Finals. They’d also worn them as throwbacks more recently than the blue unis.
Of course, while I can nitpick some of the choices and suggest better alternatives, as I said, we were still glad to see retro jerseys back in NBA Live 10. It was a long time coming after historical content was dropped from the series at the beginning of the seventh generation, and the developers didn’t just include the throwbacks that were set to be worn during the 2010 season, which would’ve been the bare minimum. Other NBA Live titles have featured a wider array of jerseys – including many that I’d have liked to have seen in NBA Live 10 – and NBA 2K’s selection has been even better still. Nevertheless, their return was a big deal that helped make NBA Live 10 special.
It was also cool to see the Warriors’ fictional “Gold Standard” secondary home jersey still in the game. The jersey had been the winning design in a contest held in 2008, earning it a place in NBA Live 09. Despite the goal of authenticity with NBA Live 10, it was retained, and joined the selection of alternate and retro jerseys. Notably, it was slightly re-coloured, with the gold being made more orange to fit with the Warriors’ contemporary colour scheme. It’s such a fun oddity/Easter egg that I’m always drawn to it when I play with or against the Warriors in NBA Live 10. To that point, I used them for my fantasy team in one of the first Parsec games Dee and I connected on!
Technically speaking, historical content isn’t essential to the core premise of a sim title set in the current NBA season. Beyond any retro jerseys that will be worn during the campaign, everything else could be seen as bonus content. Modern games would feel pretty empty without all the throwback uniforms, historical players, and classic teams, though. NBA Live 2000 wasn’t the first title to include Legends, but it did set the precedent for games moving forward. It’s why it was so disappointing that NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 tipped off a new generation without any retro content. It was far from NBA Live’s only blunder during that era, but it was a sore point nevertheless.
Still, the return of retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 made it a strong year for the series – indeed, the last one it would enjoy – and unquestionably brought the authenticity the developers were striving for. All these years later, they’ve helped make my kicks with the game more fun, from assembling makeshift classic teams, to matching players in the rosters with throwbacks they once wore, to changing up the aesthetic with some iconic uniforms. We can talk about what NBA Live could and should have done, and what might’ve been if EA hadn’t screwed up. However, by bringing back retro jerseys, NBA Live 10 satisfied a need back in 2009, and ensured even more nostalgia in 2025.
NBA Live 10 Retro Jerseys
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