The use of alternate jerseys in the NBA and other sports has exploded in popularity recently. Every NBA club wears a special “City Edition” uniform once a year that pays homage to a different era of the city’s history or the team’s own.

For example, Kobe Bryant’s designs for the Los Angeles Lakers’ L.A. Nights and Black Mamba editions were worn by the club to victory all the way to the 2020 NBA Finals.

The Lakers have released their new “California Dream” uniforms for the 2023–24 season. 

The Lakers have stated that the design of these uniforms was influenced by Lakers artwork from the past and is meant to symbolize the city’s aspirations and struggles. The jersey’s primary triangle motif harkens back to the 1960s, when the Lakers relocated from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.

The jerseys’ purple-to-black edging is designed to evoke the state’s signature sunset, and the numbers are the same as those worn by the team from 1999 to 2017—a stretch during which they won five NBA titles.

In the middle of the shorts’ belt line is a ‘LAL’ emblem, which not only represents the Los Angeles Lakers but also Leave a Legacy. The shorts include a speed-mark symbolizing the pursuit of a dream within the incomplete LA logo.

The Lakers will wear these uniforms for the first time on November 14 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first ever In-Season Tournament.