The 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers will begin tonight.
Thanks to Lockervision, we know what the uniform matchups for the Pacers and Thunder will be. We already knew the Pacers would be wearing their gold uniforms for as long as they remained in the playoffs, thanks to the NBA directing playoff teams to wear their “Core” uniforms (Icon, Association or Statement) beginning with the Conference Finals.
For the first four games of the Finals, the Pacers will stick with their gold “Statement” uniform, while the Thunder will counter with their white “Association” uniform for Game 1. (Games 1 and 2 will be played in OKC.)
For game two at home, and the following two in Indiana, the Thunder will wear their blue “Icon” uniform, which means three of the first four games will feature a very pleasing uni matchup.
And while it will be a very pleasing look (unlike Game 1’s white vs. gold), it shows how Nike’s system of dress — or whatever they call it for NBA uniforms — has made home and road jerseys irrelevant. While I’m fine with some NBA color vs. color games, I wish teams had to wear either white or gold, or another light color exclusively at home, and dark on the road. Yes, that ship has sailed and we all know why, but it still bothers me.
The uni matchups for Games 5, 6, and 7 — should any be necessary — will likely be revealed shortly after the series has begun. We know the Pacers will be in gold. You can see the Lockervision matchups here.
Of course, the jerseys will have special NBA Finals patches. And of course, they’ll be located on the back of the jersey, above the player NOB, because the primary patch placement on the front of the jerseys is currently occupied by a Nike swoosh and an ad.
Here’s how it looks on the Pacers:
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 3, 2025
I haven’t been able to locate a photo of the OKC game jersey with the Finals patch, but you can see it here on the back of their shooting shirt:
While I laud the NBA for not permitting “City” edition uniforms for the playoffs, teams are still permitted to choose from three different uniforms, and they don’t mandate white (or light color) uniforms at home. Is there any other sport in which two teams will wear the same uniforms in back-to-back games in different cities? I guess we should be thankful that we’ll get the most visually appealing combos for at least three games.
What are your thoughts on the matchups? Does it bother you that the Thunder and Pacers will wear blue and gold respectively in both OKC and Indy? Or do you like the new uni system where the only restrictions on uniforms is that they have sufficient contrast from one another? Either way, are you at least somewhat pleased that at least three games will feature a truly good looking color vs. color matchup?
