Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the 10 best jerseys of all time
By Ethan Temkin
7. Sunday Whites (2003-Present)
In the same vein as the ‘Mamba’ jerseys, the Sunday Whites pay tribute to another Laker great; announcer Chick Hearn. Chick was the undisputed voice of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1965, to his last broadcast in Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals, in which the team secured their third straight championship.
Starting the following season, the team introduced these alternates, which were set to be worn anytime the team played a game on Sunday. This uniform has been largely unchanged since it’s inception, with the most recent design change coming when Nike took over for Adidas in the 2017-2018 season, where the Sunday Whites were tweaked ever so slightly.
The Sunday Whites are a relatively simple jersey, as most teams in the NBA have a home variant that is white, but for some reason, this jersey just works so well, not to mention the sentimental impact it has for the team that other team’s home jerseys don’t have.
The jersey’s most iconic moment came on January 22nd, 2006, when the Toronto Raptors were visiting the Los Angeles Lakers and one Kobe Bean Bryant decided it was a good time to score 81 points. The memorable shot of Kobe walking off, finger in the air, wearing the Sunday Whites, is an image that will forever be in the minds of basketball fans the world over.