The Washington Mystics and other WNBA teams were expected to have new “City” Edition or other alternate jerseys this season, according to Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, who said it by accident.
And now, maybe it’s an accident, but some Dick’s Sporting Goods stores are selling Mystics jerseys at least as of the beginning of this week. But it’s important to note that since the league didn’t announce anything about designs, it’s possible that the merchandise is now off the shelf until an announcement takes place.
We reached out to the Washington Mystics who could not comment on the topic. And we reached out to the WNBA though we haven’t received any response from them yet.
This blue jersey is the “Rebel” Edition, with “RISE” showing up on the chest. Elena Delle Donne’s name is misspelled here with the hyphen ... but hey! We can at least see the jersey design!
So I saw this at dicks this evening. New mystics jerseys? pic.twitter.com/CMWwMAf4Mv
— Jordan Small (@jols98) March 28, 2021
The Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Springfield, Va. also sold the “Explorer” Edition, which is a Red Jersey. Note that there is no GEICO insurance sponsorship on the front chest area. It’s unclear whether these sponsorships would re-emerge on the left shoulder like they do for the Washington Wizards, but I find it difficult to see the GEICO logo (or any team’s sponsorship) not showing up on the left shoulder this summer.
S/O to Dick's for just releasing WNBA merch before its even announced pic.twitter.com/ePfCEpJhfj
— De'Shaun Harris (@wonderkid7055) March 29, 2021
Springfield Mall in Springfield, VA
— De'Shaun Harris (@wonderkid7055) March 29, 2021
It’s unclear whether these are alternates or actual replacements for the Icon and Statement jerseys the team wore last season. But after looking at the New York Liberty’s apparent design, it seems like those jerseys have been replaced by the “Explorer” and “Rebel” versions as well.
uuu!! Liberty jerseys pic.twitter.com/yE3Mj90xs0
— UnhypedAthletics™ LLC (@unhypeathletics) March 29, 2021
And just so you know, this recent photo of Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins is of her wearing a Phoenix Suns City Edition jersey, unless the Mercury decide to use this exact same design... After all, Robert Sarver owns both teams. But either way, this looks like a great tease.
Rally the Valley pic.twitter.com/UAcUH5FWoq
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) March 31, 2021
Unfortunately for Suns fans, that City Edition jersey is sold out online from an official store.
So what can we infer from these apparent jersey leaks?
- Assuming there are only two versions of the jersey, they are the “Explorer” and “Rebel” editions. Perhaps there’s a “City” or a third version later on, but we’ll just have to wait and see. That third jersey will probably not the same as the one-off breast cancer jerseys teams wear during the season (and these are generally not available for purchase).
- Based on the Mystics’ and Liberty’s designs, teams are not wearing a cookie-cutter design where everything is the same except for the logo and sponsorships. So this probably means every team is getting an individualized design since both teams’ jerseys do not look similar anymore.
- The AT&T leaguewide sponsorship is now on the back of the jersey and not the front, probably because of a desire to make the front of the jersey look cleaner like their NBA counterparts.
What do you think of the new designs, especially the Mystics’ Rebel jersey? I like that version much more than the Explorer one. Let us know in the comments below.