Nike Airballs the Lakers' New Practice Jerseys

It is certainly a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James has left town, ownership has changed, and even practices will look different. Earlier this month, fans got their first look at a redesigned practice court in El Segundo. That will coincide with a new practice jersey.

On Monday morning, the Lakers and BMO announced a long-term partnership. In addition to becoming the team's exclusive Official Bank, BMO will be a highly visible partner to the Lakers. That includes a new practice jersey.

Lakers New Practice Jersey

Welcome to the Purple & Gold, @BMO_US 💜💛

Making it official, right down to the practice jersey. pic.twitter.com/DQQmDqWo5b
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 31, 2026

Our complaint isn't with BMO, as their sponsorship branding on the practice jersey is actually much smaller than previous bibigo logos. The issue is with Nike's new minimalist design. The iconic Lakers wordmark has been replaced with barely visible team branding.

Sandwiched between the Nike Swoosh and NBA logo, the phrase "Los Angeles Lakers Basketball" appears in tiny font. Even the jersey numbers have been shrunken down for no apparent reason. Again, it has nothing to do with the new sponsor and everything to do with Nike's design approach.

Jersey Details

All about the work.

The Lakers are proud to partner with @BMO_US. pic.twitter.com/klziRfqMRS
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 31, 2026

One side of the reversible jersey is gold with purple font, while the other features a purple and black gradient with no team branding at all (or at least we can't see it).

Even before Nike became the official on-court uniform and apparel provider of the NBA, adidas had acceptable practice jerseys. In almost every case, there was prominent Lakers and adidas branding.

Since this was a move by Nike and not the new sponsor, it will be worth watching to see if this new practice jersey aesthetic goes league-wide. We have already seen glimpses of this year's warm-up apparel, and this aligns with that trend.

BMO Sponsorship

Lakers announce BMO as the "official bank of the Lakers." BMO will be on the practice jerseys and present training camp and courtside seats, among other activations. pic.twitter.com/I9S3ixld1h
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) August 31, 2026

According to the Lakers' press release, BMO will be part of the Lakers' experience both on and off the court during the 2026-27 NBA season. It will feature programs that connect fans, communities, and the team throughout the year. Whatever BMO does can only be better than what Nike just did to the practice jerseys.

Between jersey patch sponsorships, oversaturation of alternate uniforms, and substandard quality, it is becoming increasingly difficult for fans to find quality jerseys.

Changing Uniform Trends

Nike’s really embracing minimalism to the point where the new practice jersey ad is bigger than the Lakers wordmark, wordmark like the size of the default Microsoft Word font. https://t.co/ZamjW6VAHA
— Coco (@marcomanipon) August 31, 2026

The silver lining is that some brands are getting creative with their fan apparel. StockX is currently auctioning off game-worn jerseys. Whether shopping for a replica jersey or team gear, it's important to check the brand and supplier.

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