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From the moment the Timberwolves’ new City Edition uniforms leaked last month, the speculation about what inspired them shifted into overdrive.

Was the color striping on the chest a nod to the Riverside Plaza apartments, with their European-inspired, multicolored panels that have been an enduring part of the Minneapolis skyline for almost 50 years?

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No, definitely not. 

Were they a tribute to the Bob Dylan mural in downtown Minneapolis?

Getting warmer, but not quite there. 

The jerseys and shorts that were unveiled officially on Thursday morning are a collaboration with the Twin Cities’ creative community, a nod to the area’s vibrant arts and music scene, said Timberwolves and Lynx chief marketing officer Mike Grahl. It wasn’t directed at one artist in particular, the way the Prince-inspired collaboration was in 2018.

The primary feature — the colorful panel across the chest and on one leg of the shorts — is meant to symbolize the way so many artists and creators lean on each other to form a vibrant community and celebrate the intersection of art and sports. Taking it a step further, the panel was designed to be different on every single jersey. That doesn’t mean that Karl-Anthony Towns’ jersey will be different from Anthony Edwards’, which will differ from Rudy Gobert’s. That means that every KAT jersey that is made, or sold, will look slightly different than the one before it.

“It ties together the distinct personalities of our creatives and the distinct personalities of our players,” Jen Zanatta, executive creative director for the Wolves and Lynx, said. “Making sure each one was kind of special in their own way.”

It is the first time that a jersey will have markings that are different from one to the next. Typically, the fabric roll used to make jerseys has a pattern scale small enough to be cut into identical pieces for each jersey. The Timberwolves, in collaboration with Nike, designed a pattern that was big enough to ensure that each cut was unique. That applies to both the ones that the players wear on the court and the ones that are sold to fans.

So if the Timberwolves are wearing the uniforms, let’s say in their debut on Nov. 21 against the Miami Heat, and Towns needs to change jerseys for some reason, the jersey he changes into will not look exactly like the one he wore to start the game.

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“What we’re doing here is something that hasn’t been done in NBA history with outfitting,” Zanatta said. “We are creating a jersey where we cannot control every single one and each one will be distinctly different.”

The white base of the jersey is meant to evoke an artist’s blank canvas. The Wolves also selected a typeface for the numbers and lettering from a local designer, who was inspired by the Foshay Tower, one of the most recognizable elements of the city’s skyline.

A theme that abstract can be hard to wrap your head around, so the Timberwolves grounded it with local connections. All five colors in the panel are tied to past Timberwolves uniforms. The old Shep logo (green and blue), the KG-era snarling wolf (red tongue, yellow eyes) and the 2019 City Edition logo (light blue) all have callbacks in the paneling.

“Everyone we talked to was from Minnesota,” Grahl said of their collaborations with artists on the theme. “It was cool to hear how they talked to each other and are knit together. They draw their inspiration from each other and lean on each other.”

They have commissioned a new intro video from Pixel Farm, a local production company, that is set to a track from local artists Dwynell Roland and Lazerbeak. The rollout will also include projects with poets, musicians, dancers and other creatives from the Twin Cities and outstate, including Mankato and Duluth.

“I’m a kid from North Minneapolis, 37th and 12th, Humboldt Avenue North that never thought that I would be able to make a song for my favorite team that I’ve been sticking with forever,” said Roland, who has been a part of the Twin Cities’ vibrant local hip hop scene since 2013. “I’m just grateful.”

“Basketball and hip-hop have always gone hand-in-hand,” said Lazerbeak, who has collaborated with the franchise in the past. “I do give props to the Lynx and Wolves for recognizing that there is a local scene here that is different from the national scene and embracing it.”

Minnesota doesn't color inside the lines,
or follow the textbooks,…

and we like it that way.

🎤» @_LAZERBEAK_ & @DwynellRoland pic.twitter.com/L5amRwYpnC

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 10, 2022

“There’s a ton of known creators and makers, but some of those don’t have the spotlight yet,” Grahl said. “And we’re trying to shine a spotlight on those creators.”

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A uniform set that varies this widely from the norm is sure to evoke all kinds of emotions and responses. In some ways, the Timberwolves are victims of their own success. Their last four City Edition jerseys have been very popular, both for the uniqueness of the designs and the execution of the themes. Wolves fans have often lobbied for the Timberwolves to adopt each successive City Edition as their primary uniform to replace the white and blue versions they wear most often these days.

There is a high bar for them to clear because of their success in the past. The choice to go with a theme like this, and a look like this, could elicit strong reactions.

“We know we have a rich and exciting story here that we’re trying to tell and we’re really excited about the new things we’re doing with outfitting,” Zanatta said. “Anything like that comes with risks.”

Grahl remembers how nervous he was last season, when the Timberwolves unveiled a City Edition in collaboration with the league for the NBA’s 75th anniversary season that was aimed at paying homage to the franchise’s uniform history. He worried that bringing back the guard hairs on the side of the jersey, a feature of the first City Edition uniforms in 2017 would fall flat, much like those jerseys did. He worried that the transition from a more royal blue on the front to the darker blue on the back would just make it look like the players were sweating through the jersey.

“All those little details when you’re getting ready to put something out into the world, I don’t know if people are going to like this or love it or hate it or whatever,” Grahl said.

In the end, the 2022 version was wildly popular, with fans seeing it as an ideal mix of styles old and new, a vibrant kit that stood out against their more muted regular uniforms.

The emotions are similar this time around. They have seen some of the reaction online, the quizzical posts from fans who either do not understand the story behind it or just plain don’t like the look. The internal hope is that now fans hear the story of how these came to be and identify with the emotion behind the design, the collaboration with local artists and creators and the inspiration behind the rollout, that the connection between the uniforms and the city will be easier to visualize.

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“Just like when an artist or a culinary (chef) or an actor creates something, there’s an interpretation of whether it’s a thing of beauty or it’s not,” Grahl said. “Ultimately the goal is to be bold and think a little bit differently and color outside the lines. There’s some fun to that. I think the fan base, to give them an opportunity to see something and feel something that’s a little bit different, that’s where we have some excitement for this.”

(All photos courtesy Minnesota Timberwolves)

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