All Huskers

The Story Behind Adidas' Black History Month Basketball Uniforms

If you've been wondering about the concept behind the new adidas Black History Month uniforms for Nebraska, Kansas, Louisville, and others, here is your answer.

Kaleb Henry

Feb 13, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Brice Williams (3) shoots a free throw during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Feb 13, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Brice Williams (3) shoots a free throw during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
In this story:

There has been no shortage of opinions on the latest college basketball uniform from adidas.

Schools across the nation have been sporting a new look this month. Most programs noted that the uniforms are part of the Honoring Black Excellence with asymmetrical designs that are "inspired by the artistry, resilience, and cultural significance of quilting and the influence of community leaders."

Beyond that, not much has been widely spread (good for you, Washington!). This should have been something adidas explained over and over in social media posts and commercials. Instead, the real story behind the uniforms has only been put out by a few programs and has not spread to the masses.

Here's that story

Special uniforms for Black History Month are nothing new. The last of couple years, Nebraska, and all of adidas' power conference and HCBU schools wore similar-themed jerseys for games in February.

Nebraska's were cream colored with two distinct pieces. The multi-color pastels along the sides represent the tearing down of obstacles to create something beautiful, while the goldenrods on the lettering show gratitude and appreciation for the contributions of Black individuals within the program over the years. The goldenrod is the state flower of Nebraska.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) celebrates after a 3-point shot against the Michigan Wolverines.
Feb 10, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) celebrates after a 3-point shot against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

This year, those uniforms are a school color for the typical road uniforms. In Nebraska's case, red, while others like Kansas and Arizona State have the design on their blue and yellow uniforms, respectively. Others, like Texas Tech and Texas A&M, are utilizing their home uniforms with white or gray.

But why the "odd" design?

The front design on all of these uniforms is an homage to Lusia Harris and Delta State University's 1970 jerseys. Harris was the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team. She scored the first points in women's basketball history at the Olympics and led Delta State to three national titles.

Harris was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

A documentary entitled "The Queen of Basketball" about Harris won an Oscar in 2022. You can watch that below.

The side pattern is influenced by the African American quilting tradition. Quilting has been a cornerstone of the African American experience, serving as a powerful medium of cultural expression and storytelling.

Some schools explained the quilted patters further, like Kansas. The Jayhawks utilized patterns based on the Underground Railroad, the informal network of safe houses and secret routes helping enslaved individuals escape to freedom, as well as Lawrence's abolitionist roots.

The back of the uniforms features an AT, representing Alex Taylor. Taylor is the founder of Hoop York City, a New York City-based brand and college, which provides accessible and safe opportunities for women who are former student-athletes and lovers of the game, to play and reconnect with the sport.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg talks to guard Rollie Worster (24).
Feb 13, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg talks to guard Rollie Worster (24) during a timeout in the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Reception and reaction

While social media doesn't cover the vase expanse of human opinions, it certainly is a place for opinions to be made known. Reaction on X has not been 100% against, but it is close.

Critics tend to point to the design as "lazy", which is understandable due to the complete lack of messaging from adidas. The company doesn't even make mention of Harris, Delta State, or the 1970s in the descriptions for the replica jerseys being sold online (for $90!), saying simply "a replica of the commemorative uniforms worn on court".

Other critiques are about the number of schools wearing the same design. Again, this could have been solved with widespread messaging from adidas at the beginning of the month about what was to come. Even so, schools with the same apparel provider wearing similar uniforms is to be expected, even with such a distinct design.

Below are a number of social media posts reacting to the uniforms.

So now you have the story behind uniform designs, from the offset front to everything else on the sides and back. I doubt that changes the hearts and minds for many college basketball fans on this, but at least now those opinions can be backed up by the knowledge of what the design was intended to honor.

MORE: Nebraska Baseball Drops Season Opener to UC Irvine

MORE: Jordy Bahl Hits 3 of Nebraska Softball’s 9 Homers in Friday Sweep

MORE: Big Ten Basketball Games of the Weekend: Purdue and Wisconsin Clash

MORE: Nebrasketball Brunch Show: Putting the Pieces Back Together After the Maryland Loss

MORE: Nebraska Men's Basketball Falls Short Against No. 25 Maryland

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Published
Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

Home/Basketball