When Nike introduced a bold and new line of thinking upon taking over the NBA apparel contract beginning with the 2017-18 season, the Los Angeles Lakers took matters a step further by using their City Edition jersey as a means to honor franchise legends through a Lore Series.
They carried that by allowing a franchise icon to design the City Edition uniform, with Kobe Bryant the first to do so. He appropriately outfitted the Lakers with black jerseys that featured a snakeskin print as an ode to his “Black Mamba” persona.
Last season the Lakers handed over the design canvas to Magic Johnson, who of course helped lead the team to five championships and at the time was the head of their front office as president of basketball operations.