The Los Angeles Lakers logo at midcourt at Crypto.com Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Tonight, Nike gave the world its first look at Specter, a new alternative colorway for the Lakers’ jerseys ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Nike will release new NBA Specter Edition uniforms “for the teams who trace their roots back to the earliest chapters of the league” and new Standard Issue Collection jerseys for all 30 teams, the NBA announced Wednesday.
BREAKING: Nike just unveiled the Lakers “Specter” jersey pic.twitter.com/euYaMLHYiz
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) September 10, 2026
The announcement said the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics would receive the new Specter jerseys.
A look at one of the new alternative Los Angeles Lakers jerseys by Nike (via @LADEig) pic.twitter.com/aRdLfD5gUk
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 10, 2026
“Bringing forward the same obsession with the game that defines the NBA Standard Issue collection, each uniform features details inspired by the franchises’ history, city heritage, and fan culture,” Nike explained in a statement.
Lakers fans saw the new alternative jersey on social media and were clearly unhappy, mostly because it lacked purple and gold, the franchise’s iconic original colors.
“Gotta deal with this foolishness till 2037? Smh, I just want that gold back lol.”
“That’s ugly!”
“Ugly as f–k.”
“Weak as hell.”
“This genuinely pissed me off. I hope this jersey gets zero sales and they are forced to get rid of it entirely.”
“Tf is that s–t? Give us Gold and the Mambas if you really love money. I guarantee you.”
“That has to be the worst NBA jersey to have been designed and produced.”
“Fire everyone at Nike, wtf.”
“Trash, why tf is the Lakers brand so small? It makes it look like the player is bigger than the franchise. Not a good message.”
Several such negative reactions flooded social media as fans were clearly not in favor of this alternative look. The new Specter jersey design campaign is part of Nike’s initiative to break the monotony of the NBA’s fashion culture.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Nike aims to blur the line between what might be worn at practice, shoot-around, or on the way to the team bus by offering more street-driven looks in performance materials.
Just as they generally oppose wearing modern basketball shoes for the rest of their lives, the young athletes who helped shape the collection were determined to draw clear boundaries between on- and off-court activities.
These jerseys are expected to be on sale for the general public during the holiday season after an initial rollout. It will certainly be interesting to see how fans respond if and when players wear this new-look jersey on the court.