Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 10 Retro Rookie Jerseys Redux

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, it’s a redux of my feature sharing screenshots of various players in NBA Live 10, sporting retro jerseys from their rookie seasons.

With NBA Live 10 becoming my retro kick of 2021, it’s inspired several Wayback Wednesday features. The first feature, posted back in May, spotlighted the retro jerseys that had actually been worn by players in NBA Live 10’s rosters, during their rookie seasons. It was a fun exercise that allowed me to comb through the rosters and set up some screenshots. I was pleased with how the feature turned out, and that I was able to find so many players that could be matched to retro jerseys. The problem is that the list wasn’t as comprehensive as it could’ve been.

There were a couple of players that I completely forgot about when matching rookie seasons to the retro jerseys, while ironically including more obscure examples. The 1985-86 Celtics retro jerseys are also the design that they wore from 1972 through to 1999, which means there are players in NBA Live 10 that sported them in their rookie seasons. As far as the 2000s are concerned, I completely neglected the SuperSonics retros, which are absolutely worth a mention. I thought about simply updating and then re-sharing my previous article, but I decided it was worth a do-over, complete with new screenshots. Let’s fix things by taking another look back…way back…

So, what’s the updated count? There are 50 players in NBA Live 10 – not all of whom were still active as of the 2010 season – that can be matched up with retro jerseys they wore during their rookie campaign. Seven players were still playing for that same team, though two were in their second stint, and three were wearing new uniforms due to the franchise relocating. There are also two players that were traded halfway through their rookie seasons, and both of the appropriate retro jerseys were included in the game. Finally, this time around I’m using the Fantasy Teams mode instead of trading the players back and forth, and let me tell you: it’s a much easier method!

Dallas Mavericks 1994-95 Jerseys (Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd)

The Dallas Mavericks’ 90s retro jerseys were not only worn by two active players during their rookie seasons, but those players are on the Mavs in NBA Live 10: Dirk Nowitzki, and Jason Kidd. Dirk wore them for slightly longer than Kidd as Dallas adopted the first version of their modern design in 2001, but as a rookie in 1999, he did sport that old uniform. Kidd of course was back in Dallas after stints with the Phoenix Suns and New Jersey Nets (making him a familiar face back in a familiar place), but nevertheless he’s on the team where he started his career, and thus easily outfitted with his first NBA jersey. For added effect, I’ve switched him back to #5.

Orlando Magic Original Jerseys (Shaquille O’Neal, Darrell Armstrong)

Those classic white home and black away pinstripe jerseys for the Orlando Magic are labelled 1989-90 (their inaugural year), though the design remained the same until the 1999 season. They added the blue pinstripe version along the way though, which became their primary road uniform while the black uniform became their alternate. Darrell Armstrong made his NBA debut for the Magic the same season as the blue jersey – appropriately labelled 1994-95 in NBA Live 10 – while the team obviously still used the black uniform during Shaq’s first season in 1992. With Shaq still active and Armstrong included as a Free Agent, both can wear their rookie retro jerseys.

Boston Celtics 1985-86 Jerseys (Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones)

While there weren’t any players from the 1986 Champion Celtics in NBA Live 10 – though there might have been if EA Sports had been able to secure likeness rights for retro teams – as I noted, those same jerseys were actually used from 1972 through to 1999. As such, they were worn by Chauncey Billups for the first half of his rookie season, and were also the first version of the Celtics jerseys that Paul Pierce played in during his career in Boston. Damon Jones was also a rookie on the Celtics the same year as Pierce, and he’s available in the Free Agents Pool. I have to chalk this one up to focusing too much on the jerseys being labelled 1985-86, and not their longevity.

Toronto Raptors Original Jerseys (Vince Carter, Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady, Chauncey Billups, Sean Marks)

I was fairly close on this one the first time around, but in my research I neglected one player. As I noted, the Raptors’ retro jerseys are labelled as being from 1998, though they date back to their rookie campaign as a team. As for the players that wore those retro jerseys, 1996 Rookie of the Year and first ever Draft pick of the Raptors Damon Stoudamire was in NBA Live 10 as a recent retiree left over in the Free Agents. Vince Carter also spent one year in those Raptors jerseys, while his cousin Tracy McGrady played in them for two. Chauncey Billups played the second half of his rookie year in them, Marcus Camby wore them for two years, and Sean Marks also debuted in them.

Houston Rockets 1993-1994 Jerseys (Robert Horry)

Despite retiring in 2008, Robert Horry is still in the Free Agents Pool in NBA Live 10. That makes him the only member of the Rockets’ back-to-back championship teams to be available in the game. Of course, he’s not the only 90s Rockets rookie in NBA Live 10’s rosters. Steve Francis was also present in the Free Agents Pool, but by the time he debuted in 1999, Houston had adopted their infamous “pyjama jerseys”, which sadly aren’t among the retro uniforms in NBA Live 10. Their retros are labelled 1993-1994 – the year of their first championship – but they were in use during Horry’s rookie campaign the previous year, and for that matter, several years prior as well.

Phoenix Suns “Sunburst” Jerseys (Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Pat Garrity)

Michael Finley and Steve Nash wore the popular “Sunburst” jerseys as teammates in Phoenix, with Finley debuting in 1995-96 and Nash the following season. Finley was traded to the Mavericks during Nash’s rookie season, and Nash would of course later join him. Nash did return to Phoenix though, where he was still playing as of 2010. Shawn Marion also wore the jerseys in his rookie year. The player that I missed the first time around was Pat Garrity, who spent his rookie season with the Suns in 1999. Those popular retro jerseys were aptly labelled 1992-93, where they debuted in a memorable season thanks to Charles Barkley’s arrival and a trip to the NBA Finals.

Minnesota Timberwolves Original Jerseys (Kevin Garnett, Donyell Marshall)

Somewhat arbitrarily labelled as their 1992-93 uniform, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ retro jerseys in NBA Live 10 were the ones they wore from their inception through to 1996. That encompasses the rookie season of Kevin Garnett who was still active in the game, albeit as a member of the Boston Celtics. Donyell Marshall also wore that uniform as a rookie during the previous year, until he was traded to the Golden State Warriors (where he wore other retro jerseys that are available in NBA Live 10). Although Stephon Marbury is in the game as a Free Agent, he debuted in 1996-97, and thus never wore those original Minnesota Timberwolves jerseys during his career.

New Jersey Nets 1991-92 Jerseys (P.J. Brown)

Even though they’ve moved to Brooklyn, the Nets have been wearing a throwback jersey that’s based on the lighter blue road uniform that the team wore as the New Jersey Nets back in 1991. They adopted a darker version for 1991-1992, and by the time that P.J. Brown joined the team for his rookie campaign in 1993 after a season playing in Greece, the retro jerseys found in NBA Live 10 had been their uniforms for a couple of years. Brown is another 2008 retiree that was still in the Free Agents in NBA Live 10, one whole year removed from a run in which he won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics. As with the other retirees, I’m reactivating him for this exercise.

Detroit Pistons 80s & 90s Jerseys (Grant Hill, Lindsey Hunter, Theo Ratliff, Allan Houston)

No players from the Detroit Pistons’ first championship team in 1988-89 were still active as of NBA Live 10, but it made sense that that was the year used as the label for those retro jerseys. However, there were a handful of players from the 90s in NBA Live 10 who sported it before the adoption of the divisive teal uniforms. Grant Hill, Theo Ratliff, and Lindsey Hunter were all still playing in 2010, and wore that classic Pistons jersey in their rookie years. Allan Houston (with an admittedly generic face) is also in the Free Agents, by virtue of a couple of comeback attempts in the late 2000s. Notably, all four players wore them as teammates in 1996, Ratliff’s rookie year.

Washington Bullets 1994-95 Jerseys (Juwan Howard, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace)

Another of NBA Live 10’s retro jerseys that was labelled with a somewhat arbitrary year, the Bullets throwbacks available to the Wizards had been worn by three players who can be found in the game. The label does fit Juwan Howard, who wore them during his rookie season in 1995. The following year, Rasheed Wallace donned them in his first campaign. Following Rasheed’s trade to the Portland Trail Blazers, Ben Wallace essentially inherited his number 30 Bullets jersey for a year, before the team rebranded to the Wizards in 1997. The last three Bullets alumni in the league, Ben retired in 2012, while Rasheed and Juwan both called it a day after the 2013 season.

Miami Heat 1990-91 Jerseys (Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen)

I’m guessing that Bruce Bowen’s rookie season wearing the Miami Heat’s 90s retro jerseys would tend to fly under the radar. Most of us understandably picture him as a San Antonio Spur, but he did suit up for the Heat in 1996-97. In the first of two stints in Miami, Bowen played just one game, tallying one block in one minute. Speaking of flying under the radar, I completely forgot that a year before Bowen made his NBA debut in Miami, Kurt Thomas was a rookie with the Heat, and wore those same retro jerseys. Incidentally, the two never played a game together until 2008 in San Antonio, as Thomas was out injured during Bowen’s debut, and traded by his second Heat stint.

Utah Jazz 1987-88 Jerseys (Aaron Williams)

Talk about obscure! Aaron Williams is yet another 2008 retiree that was still in the Free Agents Pool in NBA Live 10, extending his career on the virtual hardwood. If you remember Aaron Williams, you probably recall him as a Net, where he was a key reserve during their two trips to the NBA Finals in the early 2000s. His rookie season actually came seven years before his stint in New Jersey, when he played six games for the Jazz in November and December of 1993. The 1987-88 retro Jazz jerseys in NBA Live 10 were still being worn by the team right up until they adopted their new “mountain” uniforms in 1996, meaning that Aaron Williams also suited up in them.

Golden State Warriors 1990-91 Jerseys (Joe Smith, Donyell Marshall)

The 1990-91 Warriors jerseys are closely associated with Run-TMC: the dynamic trio of Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond that played two years together. Golden State kept that design through to the 1997-1998 season, meaning that number one pick in 1995 Joe Smith also wore the Warriors’ retros in NBA Live 10. Smith was still active in 2010, but Donyell Marshall – as noted above, a rookie with the Warriors a year before Smith arrived – was in the Free Agents, with 2009 being his final season. Though he only wore the jersey for half of his rookie campaign, Marshall ended up wearing it longer than Smith, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1998.

Indiana Pacers 1993-94 Jerseys (Erick Dampier)

Once again, I have to admit that I was thrown by the year, let down by my memory, and neglected to do the necessary double-checking on Basketball Reference. I did know that Erick Dampier spent his rookie season with the Indiana Pacers, and that they’d kept those 1994 retro jerseys until the following year, by which point Dampier had been traded to Golden State. It just didn’t come to mind when writing the first article, and I trusted my memory too much. It was actually seeing Dampier in the rosters again that jogged my memory, and inspired me to check for other players that I’d missed. So yes, it’s thanks to him that I’m redoing this look at retro rookie jerseys.

Denver Nuggets 1987-88 Jerseys (Dikembe Mutombo)

Like Donyell Marshall, Dikembe Mutombo retired in 2009, which makes his presence in the Free Agents less surprising than the players who retired in 2008. His long NBA career also means that he’s one of the few players included in NBA Live 10 that wore one of the retro jerseys that dates back to the 80s. Mt. Mutombo himself didn’t debut until 1991, but the Denver Nuggets were still wearing their rainbow skyline jerseys through to 1993, meaning that Dikembe played in them during his first two seasons in the league. While those jerseys are generally associated with players such as Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe, it’s Mutombo that represents them in NBA Live 10.

Vancouver Grizzlies 2000-01 Jerseys (Stromile Swift)

Funnily enough, in my original article, I noted that there weren’t enough examples from the 2000s for separate 90s and New Millennium articles. Once again, it’s an example of how I placed too much trust in my memory! Anyway, Stromile Swift’s rookie season was also the Grizzlies’ final year in Vancouver, during which they introduced new uniforms that were included as their retro jerseys in NBA Live 10. It’s interesting that that design was chosen ahead of their original jerseys, especially since the Raptors featured their 1996 uniforms. Whatever the reason, those are the retro jerseys the Grizzlies have on hand, and Swift was still in the game to wear them.

New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets Valentine’s Day 2007 Jersey (Cedric Simmons, Hilton Armstrong)

I went back and forth as to whether I wanted to include this one, but I do love talking about this jersey. For those who are unaware, the Hornets – then playing games in Oklahoma City after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina – wore a special red jersey for their 2007 Valentine’s Day game against the Sacramento Kings. The only game it officially appeared in was NBA Live 10 as one of their retro jerseys, but did anyone wear it during their rookie season? Two players did: Cedric Simmons and Hilton Armstrong. Marcus Vinicius was also a rookie on that team, but was inactive during that game. To that end, I’m not officially including him, but it’s worth mentioning.

Seattle SuperSonics 2007-08 Jerseys (13 Players From 2001-2008)

Reading the footnotes of my original article, I’m bewildered as to how I didn’t think to research SuperSonics rookies from the 2000s who wore the retro jerseys that debuted in 2001, and were used through to their final year in 2008. There are thirteen of them: Earl Watson, Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Evans, Ronald Murray, Luke Ridnour, Nick Collison, Robert Swift, Damien Wilkins, Johan Petro, Mickael Gelabale, Mouhamed Sene, Kevin Durant, and Jeff Green. Unfortunately there aren’t any former Seattle SuperSonics players that wore the 90s retro jerseys still active in NBA Live 10…or are there? Let’s finish up with an example that makes this redux worthwhile!

Seattle SuperSonics 1994-1995 Jerseys (Eric Snow)

Yes! Although there are no former Sonics from the 1995 season or earlier still active or in the Free Agents Pool in NBA Live 10, and they debuted a new jersey in 1996 that was worn through to 2001, there is a player in the game that wore that uniform: Eric Snow. How can Snow have worn these retro jerseys when he was a rookie in 1996? As it turns out, the Sonics wore their old jerseys during the preseason, and yes, there’s a photo of Eric Snow wearing them in a game against the Chicago Bulls, who the Sonics would go on to face in the NBA Finals that year. This one might just beat out Aaron Williams for the most obscure piece of trivia I’ve dug up for this feature!

In my original article, I addressed the question of whether there was a point to doing this. I noted that I found it a fun exercise, and enjoyed putting together all of the screenshots. That still holds true, but now I have to answer another question: why bother with a redux article? With the amount of omissions and oversights leading to inaccurate information in the first, I wanted a second take. It also gave me an excuse to keep messing around with NBA Live 10, and take some more screenshots. This time, I think I’ve covered my bases. Still, to be safe, I’m going to leave this topic and article open-ended, just in case I do need to edit something in, or produce a sequel.

Note: As I mentioned in my first article, I elected not to include any members of the original Charlotte Hornets. This is because the retro jerseys the Hornets have in NBA Live 10 were only worn from their inception until 1996, so players like Baron Davis, Ricky Davis, and Brad Miller actually wore different (though very similar) uniforms. Also, in case it isn’t clear, I’ve only focused on jerseys that were retro during the 2010 season, and the players still in NBA Live 10 that wore them as rookies. There are players whose rookie season jerseys are in the game, but they’re uniforms that teams were still wearing, which would’ve made for a longer and far less interesting list.

The post Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 10 Retro Rookie Jerseys Redux appeared first on NLSC.