Brooklyn Nets will Debut Basquiat-Inspired Jerseys Next Season

A leaked image of the new kit surfaced on Twitter earlier in the week.

The Brooklyn Nets will be paying tribute to another local legend next season.

According to a set of leaked images that surfaced earlier in the week and have since been confirmed as authentic, a new jersey inspired by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat will debut in 2020-2021. The new City Edition kit reads "BKLYN NETS" in Basquiat's handwriting with an underarm trim that takes cues from the freehand color blocking in some of the artist's most notable works and Basquiat's hallmark crown emblem sitting just above the NBA logo (for Kings county, naturally.)

The new Basquiat uniform follows the 2019 unveiling of the team's Bed-Stuy-brandishing kit, featuring an outline with COOGI-styled patterns popularized by the late Notorious B.I.G.. Those jerseys debuted in the 2018-2019 season, but not without a round of legal gymnastics. In 2018, COOGI filed suit against the Nets, Nike and New Era for violating the trademarks on their "Pea Soup" and "Ricotta" patterns, both of which were allegedly used in the hyper-regional tributary kit. The suit also claimed a party-affiliated with the team bought ads for Google searches that redirected prospective COOGI customers to Nets merchandise. Let's hope the the team has learned a thing or two since.

You can see the leaked images of the Brooklyn Nets' Basquiat-inspired jerseys below. Hold tight for their on-court debut next season, whatever that looks like.