The Cleveland Cavaliers are always ready to showcase ‘The Land’, and they’re upping their game when doing so this season.
On Thursday morning at KeyBank State Theatre the team unveiled new ‘City Edition’ uniforms that pay tribute to Cleveland’s iconic theater district, Playhouse Square.
The uniforms themselves are a deep wine color with several nods to Playhouse Square worked into them. The wine uniforms are trimmed with a regal gold coloring that pays homage to the cornice decoration on ceilings of some of Cleveland’s finest theaters. Across the front ‘The Land’ is written in a font that one might find on the cover of a Playbill of any number of famous shows in Cleveland. The back of the uniform does feature a bit of a change from a normal NBA jersey, featuring the last name below the numbers while the number is in a royal font meant to mimic lettering that appears on the outside marquee.
“We are so pleased to be the Cavaliers’ City Edition partner this year. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the commonalities between sport and the arts,” says Playhouse Square President and CEO Craig Hassall in a news release. “We’re more alike than you might think. And the beautiful City Edition uniform and court designs highlight the rich detail in our historic theaters, of which we are so proud.”
The new uniforms will be worn six times throughout this season, with every occurrence taking place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The first appearance is set for Nov. 17.
“The opportunity to partner with Playhouse Square, one of Cleveland’s iconic cultural landmarks, for the 2023-24 City Edition Uniforms was so organic and pure due to the synergies we share on numerous levels,” says Nic Barlage, President and CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “The vibrancy that Playhouse Square brings to downtown Cleveland is the perfect complement to all that we do with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.”
That’s not the only new thing, though.
Also part of the unveiling on Thursday was a new court to match the ‘City Edition’ uniforms. The usual ‘C’ logo at halfcourt has been replaced by the same ‘The Land’ wordmark on the front of the jerseys, while certain areas of the floor have been designed to blend the elements of basketball and theater.
As a whole, the court is supposed to represent the moment the curtains open to showcase the stage. The paint surrounding the playing area is wine-colored, but the west sideline – which will be the bottom of the floor as you watch on television – is relatively light in the center and becomes darker as it nears the baseline. The east sideline is mostly dark wine, with a small pocket near the halfcourt line that is much lighter, demonstrating what the top curtain would look like during a show.
Each time the ‘City Edition’ uniforms are worn, the Cavs will be playing on this alternate court, which is their third different floor specialized for this season. Aside from the debut on Nov. 17, the team will be outfitted in this Playhouse Square-themed look on Nov. 28, Jan. 3, Jan. 29, Feb. 12, and March 10.
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