Indianapolis has a rich tradition of high-speed sports competition, whether it’s on the basketball hardwood at Bankers Life Fieldhouse or the asphalt track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On Thursday, the Pacers paid tribute to the city’s legacy of auto racing as well as the team’s modern identity, unveiling their new Nike City Edition uniform for the 2019-20 season.
The new uniforms are a refreshed take on the City Edition uniforms the team wore during the 2017-18 season. While the uniforms two years ago were primarily blue, this year’s uniforms are primarily white, with a number of additional tweaks to the design.
The jersey number remains encircled on the front of the jersey in the style of a classic IndyCar nosecone. But while the jersey number two years ago was gold with no trim, this year’s jersey features a blue number with gold trim.
The most noticeably different element on this year’s uniform is found on the vertical checkered racing stripe that lines the left side of both the jersey and shorts. Nike says that “the checkered stripe symbolizes not only the city’s deep ties to auto racing but the Pacers’ tireless pursuit of victory.”
Two years ago, the checkered pattern contained two different shades of gold. On this year’s uniform, the checkered pattern instead consists of two shades of blue: a darker traditional shade similar to the primary color the team has worn for the better part of two decades, as well as lighter shade closer to royal blue, reminiscent of the color seen in Indiana’s uniforms in the 1980s.
“PACERS” is spelled out vertically down the checkered stripe on the jersey in white lettering with gold trim. The phrase “ALWAYS LEAD” appears in gold lettering on the checkered stripe just above the jersey tag, another homage to the city’s racing tradition.
The Pacers will wear their new City Edition uniforms for 15 games during the 2019-20 regular season. The uniforms will make their debut on Wednesday, Nov. 27, when Indiana hosts the Utah Jazz at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
