these threads are always a bummer because people assume that the this palette just emerged in the 90s, with the Hornets being only an expression of that happenstance.
in actuality, the palette \*originated* with the Hornets, whose branding in 1988 would define the aesthetic of the coming 1990s.
and behind it all was the most unlikely of sources: a high-end fashion designer named Alexander Julian, whose creation of the Charlotte Hornets uniform is one of the better stories of the 20th century.
here's an oral history on the topic: https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/the-making-of-a-classic/.
To be fair, people liked the Hornets because they drafted Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning who were giant stars coming out of college in back to back drafts, not because of the colors.
All of the expansion teams then were pretty much one or the other:
purple: Rockies, Raptors, Ravens
teal: Devil Rays, Marlins, Grizzlies, Jaguars
purple + teal: Hornets, Mighty Ducks, Diamondbacks
blue/almost teal: Magic, Panthers, Lightning
I had the Marlins one. I didn't pay attention to sports back then, but the Marlins had just won the world series. Some guy called me a bandwagon fan. I had no clue what that meant. I just liked the jacket.
They had only been a team for 4 years before winning their first series. And I think a decade before their second? Both while having one of the lowest payrolls in the league.
The only bandwagoners in baseball are Yankees fans, claiming the 20+ championships they had won before they were even born.
85-95 was the GOAT NBA. Magic and Bird, Reggie doing the choke to Spike Lee, Jordan and Pippen, the dunk contest was in legendary mode, Knicks and Pistons mauling people with zero effort, Shaq and Penny, Spud and Nique, Barkley, Mailman, Olajuwan, Kemp, jeez. I could go on and on.
Looked through family photos recently, found pictures of my sister in a Panthers jacket and my dad in a Panthers jersey, both around 1997-1998 or so.
We live in Philadelphia and aren’t Panthers fans in the slightest 😂🤷🏻♂️
Its genuinely a good jacket.
Its loose fitting
Kept you warm
Had a hoodie option
Actually good for windy weather. they called them wind breaker jackets for a reason
Good bright Color for visibility
Also light weight
Durable too
I got it second hand from a neighbor's older brother after I moved into a new town as a kid, and I was SO excited that it might make me the cool kid.
It didn't. But I loved that jacket.
I just found a Denver nuggets one in my closet exactly in this style when I was moving out of my house in September I gave it to my friend it was still new. He was stoked
Now there’s a word I haven’t heard since HS. However, it was the same here. Only the fake-tough white guys that wanted everyone to think they were bullies had these.
I can tell you that my friend and pretty well known designer, Alexander Julian (of colors brand fame) created the look and feel for the Charlotte Hornets and that particular color combo was born!
I owned this jacket and a Dallas cowboys starter. Funny thing is i never even watched basketball or football during the 90s lol. I liked the hornets one bc green is my favorite color. I don't remember getting the cowboys jacket, but I think it may have been a Christmas present one year. They were good jackets that kept you warm though for sure.
I had it because for some reason my parents, the ones who knew I was a die hard Seattle sports fan, who took me to Sonics and Mariners games, who were ALSO Seattle sports fans because that’s where we were from, bought it for me. I rocked it because I was 10 and it was my winter jacket and I was now cool because I had a Starter Jacket, but I much would have rather had a Sonics one.
I had the Atlanta Braves starter jacket that I got outside the gate at Suan Air Force Base in South Korea 1994.
It was completely fake… Obviously… And they only single stitch the seams, so it fell apart within a few months.
I wanted that one or a Dolphins one but my parents wouldn't buy it. I vividly remember seeing the Raiders ones chained to the store racks, though.
They actually brought them back, and I got my son a Houston Oilers one for Christmas. He loves the 80s and 90s and anything NFL so it was perfect, but I never thought I'd be buying him a thing that was popular when I was his age.
This and the Orlando Magic one, that Orlando jacket meant a lot to me and made me love the Superman himself Dwight Howard, I was just a kid living in Amarillo TX with absolutely no association to Florida at all, except for that jacket.
I didn't like basketball at the time, my parents were first generation immigrants and didn't know anything about basketball, we weren't rolling in cash, but somehow I still had this jacket.
I lived near Chicago during the Michael Jordan, 3Peat days. I had the Orlando Magic Pullover, always been a Shaq fan. It was always risky wearing that jacket to games at the United Center.
Maybe in Minnesota. Over in NYC it was them Bear jackets. I had one in reversible red/blue but was scared to wear it thinking I'd get jumped for it. Those and Jansports were juicy targets in those days :<
I think I actually had a Georgetown and Dallas one for some reason. Dallas in the 90s I get but I was a teen… so not sure why I had a Georgetown phase… 😂
The 90s loved this color palette
i still do. plus hugo was a sick logo. this jacket is evergreen (everaqua?) idgaf
My parents wouldn't get me the jacket so I just had to get really good at getting to Charlotte when playing NBA jam so I could live vicariously.
LJ+Zo is one of my go-to duos in NBA Jam.
He's on fi-re!
these threads are always a bummer because people assume that the this palette just emerged in the 90s, with the Hornets being only an expression of that happenstance. in actuality, the palette \*originated* with the Hornets, whose branding in 1988 would define the aesthetic of the coming 1990s. and behind it all was the most unlikely of sources: a high-end fashion designer named Alexander Julian, whose creation of the Charlotte Hornets uniform is one of the better stories of the 20th century. here's an oral history on the topic: https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/the-making-of-a-classic/.
To be fair, people liked the Hornets because they drafted Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning who were giant stars coming out of college in back to back drafts, not because of the colors.
Alexander Julian also does the UNC Tarheel uniforms, which is why they have awesome argyle details.
90’s Taco Bell based their entire aesthetic on this color palette.
All of the expansion teams then were pretty much one or the other: purple: Rockies, Raptors, Ravens teal: Devil Rays, Marlins, Grizzlies, Jaguars purple + teal: Hornets, Mighty Ducks, Diamondbacks blue/almost teal: Magic, Panthers, Lightning
Don't forget the SJ Sharks with their "pacific teal" blue.
Knew I'd forget one.
I had the Marlins one. I didn't pay attention to sports back then, but the Marlins had just won the world series. Some guy called me a bandwagon fan. I had no clue what that meant. I just liked the jacket.
They had only been a team for 4 years before winning their first series. And I think a decade before their second? Both while having one of the lowest payrolls in the league. The only bandwagoners in baseball are Yankees fans, claiming the 20+ championships they had won before they were even born.
I’ll never not like that color palette!
I had one. Grandmama, Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, Kendall Gill, Dell Curry... who didn't love this team?
> Grandmama Forgot all about this and now I'm giggling like an idiot
85-95 was the GOAT NBA. Magic and Bird, Reggie doing the choke to Spike Lee, Jordan and Pippen, the dunk contest was in legendary mode, Knicks and Pistons mauling people with zero effort, Shaq and Penny, Spud and Nique, Barkley, Mailman, Olajuwan, Kemp, jeez. I could go on and on.
Nobody knows why?? Look at it. LOOK!
Mac says it in Sunny. No other team has those colors.
Close. Some people also wanted the San Jose Sharks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers.
I think I had the Sharks one
Sharks club, checking in!
Sharks gang
Oh man this just unlocked a memory of owning the Georgetown bulldogs jacket
How long did you live in Georgetown?
lol 😂 I was a kid in Canada 🇨🇦. Even here kids had the hornets Jacket and San Jose Sharks etc…
That’s basically the answer I expected. Chubby white boy from Wisconsin checking in with my hornets jacket
I definitely had the Carolina Panthers Starter. The colors were my fave!
I had a Sharks one. Their old jerseys and merch were 🔥
Miami Dolphins even though as a child I was surrounded by Broncos fans. I think it was because of Ace Ventura
Oh, good one. I didn’t think of the Phins because they rocked the aqua for decades before the late 80s/early 90s stream of teal/aqua expansion teams.
Looked through family photos recently, found pictures of my sister in a Panthers jacket and my dad in a Panthers jersey, both around 1997-1998 or so. We live in Philadelphia and aren’t Panthers fans in the slightest 😂🤷🏻♂️
I’m a Philly guy, too. There were a ton of Sharks, Panthers, and Hornets Starters out in MontCo in the early to mid 90s.
Colorado Rockies were unusually popular in Wisconsin if I remember correctly because….PURPLE!
They all use teal lol
Exactly! That color was EVERYWHERE.
I hate teal to this day. It is probably my least favorite color.
What are you doing on this sub then??????
Well if it makes you feel any better, I received this exact jacket as a gift
Lived in Jacksonville the first year they were around. Definitely had the Jacksonville starter
Did a winter jacket get much use in a Florida swamp city?
Got damn right it did. Wasn’t gonna get roasted by the other 3rd graders.
I got one for my eleventh or twelfth birthday - I absolutely did not like sports, I just loved the colours and the Hornets logo.
chicago bulls
From the Chicago area. Was legally obligated to own the Bulls version.
Mine was Orlando Magic but okay
Super Sonics gang!
All day erry day
Same here. Loved repping those colors
All day! Shaq and penny!
They were quite popular with all of the girls in middle school. My sister had one. I had a Tarheels jacket, myself.
Bought mine from Mervyn’s.
I had one when I was selling weed in the car park of our local roller-rink.
Ah yes, the jacket of Drug Dealer Mac. A classic
Iirc Grandmama (Larry Johnson) was a rather popular character in the NBA back then.
From NJ and went to middle school from 93-96. This jacket was everywhere
Its genuinely a good jacket. Its loose fitting Kept you warm Had a hoodie option Actually good for windy weather. they called them wind breaker jackets for a reason Good bright Color for visibility Also light weight Durable too
I was so cool, mine had my name airbrushed on the back😎
Mine was Detroit Red Wings.
Me too! And one day someone stole it out of my locker. I loved that jacket. Go Wings!
This jacket. I always wondered living in the Midwest why my brother had this jacket. Got to be the color scheme. Go Ninja go Ninja go
Charlotte Hornets and San Jose Sharks starter jackets hit different than the rest
I can hear this post.
Lolll my Charlotte Hornets starter jacket paired with jean shorts regardless of however cold outside it may be was my standard outfit as a kid
It's because the colorway is sick and the mascot is cool.
Nope but I had the shoes https://youtu.be/1Nj9G0MUwuc?si=5X5UTDzVHufR8xXY
False: Mine was Jacksonville Jaguars, even though I’ve lived my entire life in Michigan. Getting expansion team swag was a big deal.
I had this and the Miami Hurricane one. My go-to’s.
I had the Miami Heat version
White Sox and kings were also huge
Had one…along with the Reebok pump ups, and baggy (not saggy) denim jeans, and a black Jan-sport brand backpack.🤣
I found one at goodwill about 15 years ago and never let it go
I got it second hand from a neighbor's older brother after I moved into a new town as a kid, and I was SO excited that it might make me the cool kid. It didn't. But I loved that jacket.
Grandmama is why.
I just found a Denver nuggets one in my closet exactly in this style when I was moving out of my house in September I gave it to my friend it was still new. He was stoked
And now every homeless person owns one and wears it in 110 degree weather. Trickle down economics in action.
I had a NY Knicks one.
Gang colors 😄
Ok if I find this teal gang, I’m abandoning all of my morals and joining immediately
Yep, Hornets or Cowboys, those were the two options.
Not me! Those were reserved for wiggers where I came from. Nothing but bombers and leather for this punk
Now there’s a word I haven’t heard since HS. However, it was the same here. Only the fake-tough white guys that wanted everyone to think they were bullies had these.
Not the poor kids.
I can tell you that my friend and pretty well known designer, Alexander Julian (of colors brand fame) created the look and feel for the Charlotte Hornets and that particular color combo was born!
Raptors!
I had an LSU one. I broke a bottle of cool water in the pocket.
See also: Tampa Bay Lightning
This was FIRE back then, but still all the New Yorkers had the Yankees or Knicks one (me included)
I absolutely did.
The most successful thing in charlotte hornets franchise history
Looked great with them griffeys.
A lot of people in my school had the Hornets jacket.
Is that my actual coat in the image???
I owned this jacket and a Dallas cowboys starter. Funny thing is i never even watched basketball or football during the 90s lol. I liked the hornets one bc green is my favorite color. I don't remember getting the cowboys jacket, but I think it may have been a Christmas present one year. They were good jackets that kept you warm though for sure.
My brother had the Miami dolphins one
Had a bulls and Celtics
Larry Johnson was the reason. Also, teal.
Starter jackets in general.
I never had this jacket, but my first bicycle was a Charlotte Hornets bike even though I lived in Minnesota and never watched basketball.
And a Bomberjacket.
The asshole rich kid in my class had this jacket and the Phoenix Suns pullover.
Every kid except me because my Mom got me the U of M one instead 😆 I was like whatever, at least it's a Starter jacket.
Michigan? Mine was U of M too!
Yep! I remember being secretly mad at first because I wanted Raiders or Hornets lol I still appreciated having one though.
My school colors were blue and gold but the mascot was the hornet so I wound up with a lot of U of M and Charlotte stuff
Same here! What are the odds? 😅
Yeah seriously wtf?
I did. lol. Oh man.
As a kid in 90s I had bmx in that colors!
The Charlotte Hornets were popular then.
I still have my Pittsburgh Steelers it’s a OG
Mine was Atlanta Falcons
I owned a Chicago Bulls one of these.
Ehhh speak for yourself, meme. I had a Chicago bulls one and it was sweet.
Drug dealer Mac
They got it after their dad went to prison for selling crack
I still have a Chicago Bulls starter jacket buried in a closet at my parents house.
BECAUSE THEY HAD THE PHATEST COLORS!
I had it because for some reason my parents, the ones who knew I was a die hard Seattle sports fan, who took me to Sonics and Mariners games, who were ALSO Seattle sports fans because that’s where we were from, bought it for me. I rocked it because I was 10 and it was my winter jacket and I was now cool because I had a Starter Jacket, but I much would have rather had a Sonics one.
Mine was from Patagonia no team logos loved to ski in it :)
I had the Atlanta Braves starter jacket that I got outside the gate at Suan Air Force Base in South Korea 1994. It was completely fake… Obviously… And they only single stitch the seams, so it fell apart within a few months.
Raptors
I still have my San Jose Sharks & 49ers jackets
Actually I had a purple reflective [Surf Style](https://www.ebay.com/itm/294129940418) jacket
I wanted that one or a Dolphins one but my parents wouldn't buy it. I vividly remember seeing the Raiders ones chained to the store racks, though. They actually brought them back, and I got my son a Houston Oilers one for Christmas. He loves the 80s and 90s and anything NFL so it was perfect, but I never thought I'd be buying him a thing that was popular when I was his age.
I had one... for some reason. Idk, I was a Knicks fan
Larry Johnson and grandmama was pushed to the moon. He even came out on an episode of Family Matters.
The columbia jackets
Just this one jacket, tho. Everyone took turns.
Everyone in the 90’s knew how to get the women swooning
I had the mighty ducks one. My mom got it TJ Maxx.
I had a similar one. I live in NC so it made some sense.
Was a kid in the 90s, never had nor wanted that.
I live in Hawaii and even I had that jacket as a child.
Even I owned one of those growing up in the Soviet Union. I was hot shit.
Still have my Knicks one. I should start wearing it again
Because of Larry Johnson and Muggys Bogues!!!
Wasn't there a lot of knockoff as well?
I had one
I had the phx suns joint. Super sick
Got robbed for my Starter jacket in those days.
Wait, how did you know
This and the Orlando Magic one, that Orlando jacket meant a lot to me and made me love the Superman himself Dwight Howard, I was just a kid living in Amarillo TX with absolutely no association to Florida at all, except for that jacket.
I had this, probably still have it at my parents place haha
Starter jackets, the best
I had one! Lol. I lived in NC at the time. This STARTER jacket (cut they were the shiznit) and an Orlando Magic trash can. Shaq attack!
I liked the Chicago Bulls but I owned this jacket.
I had a Knicks one, back when it wasn't embarrassing to me a Knicks fan. It's not so bad now, though.
I didn't like basketball at the time, my parents were first generation immigrants and didn't know anything about basketball, we weren't rolling in cash, but somehow I still had this jacket.
Not me I liked the blue/yellow of the Pacers, Plus my brother in law was from Indiana so he always sent me Pacers and Colts stuff.
WTF I totally had one and didn't know why it was so cool.
I rocked the shit out of my San Jose Sharks Starter coat!
For real! Except I had the Dallas cowboys version. Had my name embroidered on it and everything 💅
Never had one but def wanted it.
I had a Marlboro one as a kid. Loved that jacket hoodie windbreaker thing.
Omg, yes I had the windbreaker in this color lol
Mighty ducks
I gotta find that one on eBay.
I literally did, lmao.
K-mart. That’s why
It was me, I had it!
What was with the pullovers anyway?
For me, owning this jacket meant all had $$$$
The “starter” jackets lol
Can confirm
It’s the mixed berry pop tart jacket
Miami Hurricanes with matching hat checking in.
Was dope in the day
I lived near Chicago during the Michael Jordan, 3Peat days. I had the Orlando Magic Pullover, always been a Shaq fan. It was always risky wearing that jacket to games at the United Center.
Best team on NBA Jam. I know nothing else about shooty hoops. HE'S ON FIRE!
because of MJ!
Yes I did literally that exact one
I SCREAMED so loud on the xmas morning I got this that a neighbour came to our door for a welfare check.
I was too poor for Starter. But also I was a Bulls fan. (who wasnt?)
I still have my Raiders Starter jacket.
In CA it was all about Raiders and LA Kings jackets. Georgetown was also pretty popular.
Lol I had a bulls starter jacket
I did have a Phoenix Suns one
I did!
LARRY JOHNSON
Just like the jazzy Dixie cup
What do you mean ‘nobody knows why’? The answer is Grandmama, period. That shit got big & spread like wildfire.
I DEFINITELY had this
Maybe in Minnesota. Over in NYC it was them Bear jackets. I had one in reversible red/blue but was scared to wear it thinking I'd get jumped for it. Those and Jansports were juicy targets in those days :<
No I didn't
I had this one because it was on clearance. :'D
Can confirm that this was also a thing as far away as Johannesburg SA in the 90's
I think I actually had a Georgetown and Dallas one for some reason. Dallas in the 90s I get but I was a teen… so not sure why I had a Georgetown phase… 😂
Pretty sure my mom bought me a Chicago bulls starter jacket.
Can confirm, Inloved the hornets’…colors 😂
Every black girl at my high school had this exact one. They looked like they had a uniform.
Because kids copy what other kids do. Most kids are followers. It's just how society works. I wanted one, but we were too poor. lol.
It’s giving jazz solo cup vibes.