Sports Media Report
The 2022 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors have unveiled the team’s 2022-23 Nike NBA City Edition uniform, designed by Bay Area artist Allison Hueman. As part of the team’s uniform reveal, the Warriors have also launched Empowered, presented by Rakuten — a celebration of women at the intersection of court, community and culture in the Bay Area. Through the campaign, the Warriors and Rakuten will donate over $25,000 to the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by sports icon and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King in 1974, to advance the lives of girls and women through the power of sport.
“Our City Edition uniform consistently offers the opportunity to highlight topics important to our community,” said Warriors Chief Marketing Officer, Jen Millet. “A few years ago, in the ideation for this uniform, we quickly landed on a unique design that aligned with our women’s empowerment focus. Along with Rakuten, our entire organization—including our players—are honored to launch this platform that stands to amplify the voices, work and contributions of women in the Bay Area. I am so proud that we will use our uniform, one of the most visible assets of this franchise, to empower girls and women around the world.”
Designed by Bay Area artist Hueman, the uniform design incorporates several unique elements. The centerpiece of the uniform is a yellow rose, representing the fearless, bold women who have changed the trajectory of history in their various industries. The emblem on the chest emanates rays of sunshine, symbolizing power and strength, and the gradient on the side of the uniform represents the diversity of the Bay Area. Lastly, the uniform type face sources inspiration from the historic Art Deco landmarks in the Bay Area.
The Warriors and Rakuten identified the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) as a beneficiary of the Empowered campaign to spotlight the work of the longest-running women’s sports-focused foundation in the country. Since its inception, WSF has fought for gender equity in sport from grassroots to collegiate and professional levels through research, advocacy, community programming and a wide variety of collaborative partnerships. WSF has invested over $100 million in these impact efforts to expand access and opportunities for girls and women in sports.
“Seeing a team like the Golden State Warriors celebrate and empower women through the powerful platform of their uniforms is exciting,” said Women’s Sports Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Danette Leighton. “Across the country and around the globe, girls and women have been blazing new trails on and off the court for decades, and it is imperative to have brands like Rakuten and teams like the Warriors showcasing the importance of investing in women. We at the Women’s Sports Foundation know the importance of powerful images, such as a global uniform, that can inspire young girls, reminding them of their strength and potential in sport and life. We are proud to be a benefactor of the Warriors’ and Rakuten’s Empowered campaign.”
As part of the Empowered campaign, Rakuten is funding 20 scholarships for local girls basketball players to attend a multi-day all-girls camp held at the Warriors Basketball Facility in Oakland. In addition to receiving high-quality instruction from the Warriors Basketball Academy coaching staff, the young athletes will have the opportunity to experience Shoot 360 performance technology that will help them to elevate their games.
“We are honored to partner with the Warriors on a program that celebrates the contributions of Bay Area women and advances the talents of our next generation,” said Chief Operating Officer at Rakuten Rewards and Rakuten Americas, Adrienne Down Coulson. “Thanks to Empowered, the young women receiving these scholarships will have a unique opportunity to develop important life skills like perseverance, teamwork and communication that will contribute to their success on and off the court.”
City Edition uniforms and merchandise are now available at the Warriors Shop, located in Thrive City, and online at shop.warriors.com. Additionally, Hueman designed an Empowered Limited Edition Collection merchandise line, which will be available later this year. The collection includes t-shirts, hoodies and joggers, that pull from the uniform’s original designs.
