Nike Jersey Rips on LeBron James in NBA Debut
October 18 2017 - 1:09AM
Dow Jones News
By Sara Germano
Nike Inc.'s new basketball jersey ripped while being worn
Tuesday by star LeBron James during the sportswear company's debut
as the official outfitter of the National Basketball
Association.
In the league's first game of the 2017-2018 season between the
Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, a large
tear was visible down the back of Mr. James's jersey, between the
numerals of his #23 kit.
Replays showed the rip appeared after incidental contact from
the Celtics' Jaylen Brown, who grabbed Mr. James's top while
defending him on the court late in the game.
Nike and the NBA didn't immediately respond to requests for
comment.
It was at least the second Nike jersey to endure a large tear
during play, after Los Angeles Lakers player Tyler Ennis suffered a
ripped jersey in a preseason game earlier this month.
Nike, which has struggled with weak sales of basketball shoes in
recent months, has been marketing its NBA apparel. The contract is
valued at more than $1 billion over eight years, according to a
person familiar with the matter.
In a July press release touting its new jerseys, Nike said the
kits are made from "a combination of Alpha Yarns and recycled
polyester" and were designed to wick sweat more than 30% faster
than previous NBA kits. Until the current season, rival Adidas AG
held the league outfitting rights.
Sportswear malfunctions are rare but not unheard of in
professional sports. At the 2015 Berlin Marathon, elite runner
Eliud Kipchoge missed the world record by 63 seconds after the
insoles of his Nike shoes fell out midrace. At the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi, members of the U.S. speedskating team believed
their Under Armour body suits were impeding their performance and
voted to switch to a different suit mid-Games.
Write to Sara Germano at sara.germano@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 18, 2017 00:54 ET (04:54 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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