When LeBron James was spotted walking around with a ripped jersey, the basketball world half expected that he had broken out of it hulk-style. Turns out, that’s not what happened.

In a game that saw the NBA season open, Kyrie Irving return to Cleveland, and Gordon Hayward fracture his ankle in gruesome fashion, LeBron’s jersey rip was an afterthought. He appeared to rip it when Jaylen Brown grabbed him by the jersey during play, a relatively common foul that shouldn’t leave LeBron with a big gash in his tarp.


The real narrative here is that the NBA jerseys have drastically changed this year, as Nike has taken on the endeavor. Not only is it a different make, they are also sporting ads for the first time in league history. With the league’s most recognizable face being the victim of a jersey rip in the season’s first game, the inaugural test didn’t go so well.