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Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys: Home, Icon& Statement

Level 3 · Team dossier

Los Angeles LakersPurple and gold, and the longest shadow in the league

Seventeen NBA championships, a place in more Finals than any other club, and a colour scheme you can pick out from the far end of a concourse. This is the franchise most people mean when they say the NBA — and the jersey has to carry that.

1946Founded
WesternWestern Conference
17NBA titles
Los Angeles Lakers logo
01

The short version

Thirty seconds on who this club is and what its jersey means to the people who wear them.

The Lakers are the league's glamour franchise, and they have been for most of the last sixty years. It started somewhere unexpected: the club began life in 1946 as the Detroit Gems, moved to Minneapolis after a single season, and won five titles there before the move to Los Angeles in 1960. The name came with them, because Minnesota is the land of ten thousand lakes.

What makes the jersey worth owning is not really the trophy count. It is that the purple and gold has looked right on almost every era of the sport — Jerry West's jump shot, Kareem's skyhook, Magic running the break, Kobe's fadeaway. Very few clubs have a colour scheme with that much history behind it, which is why this jersey sells regardless of who is on the roster.

02

Franchise file

The club's own record, kept apart from anything to do with shopping. Useful if you want to know what you are buying into.

Founded
1946
Home arena
Crypto.com ArenaLos Angeles, California
Conference
WesternPacific Division
NBA titles
17 NBA championships between 1949 and 2020most recent era included

Club colours · Purple, gold, black

03

What they have won

The record as it stands. A club's honours are also the reason certain jerseys exist at all — anniversary designs are not random.

NBA titles171949 – 2020
Western Conference191972 – 2020
Pacific Division351950 – 2026

The cards above count NBA-era honours only. Also on the record: 1 NBL title (1948).

In the rafters14 retired numbers
  • #8
  • #13
  • #16
  • #21
  • #22
  • #24
  • #25
  • #32
  • #33
  • #34
  • #42
  • #44
  • #52
  • #99

Numbers this club has taken out of circulation. Half the throwbacks on the shelf exist because of one of them.

04

The story so far

Where the club came from, and why the jersey means what it means.

The Showtime years of the 1980s set the template: fast breaks, celebrity rows, and a style of play that helped turn the league into a television product. The three-peat with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant delivered it again for a new audience, and the 2020 title made it seventeen — one behind Boston at the top of the all-time list.

That is the context you are buying into. A Lakers jersey carries an expectation: it is supposed to look like a winner's jersey, and it has for a very long time. The fourteen numbers in the rafters say the same thing in a different way.

The Los Angeles Lakers founded in 1946, play out of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference and wear purple, gold, black. The club's championship record reads: 17 NBA championships between 1949 and 2020.

Walk into the building and the rafters tell you the rest: #8, #13, #16, #21, #22, #24, #25, #32, #33, #34, #42, #44, #52 and #99 are all retired, hanging above the floor as a reminder of how long this club has mattered to the people who follow it. If your reason for buying a Los Angeles Lakers jersey is a specific era, one of those numbers is almost certainly why.

On the shelf you will find Icon Edition, City Edition, Association Edition, Statement Edition and Hardwood Classics, pulled from seasons running from 2018/19 through 2024/25. The names people ask for most are LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal — if you have someone specific in mind, that is where to look first.

05

The colourways, explained

Los Angeles Lakers has stock across Icon Edition, City Edition, Association Edition, Statement Edition and Hardwood Classics. Before you pick one, it is worth knowing what separates them — the editions are genuinely different pieces of the club's identity, not colour swaps of the same shirt.

Icon The primary colourway

The one you picture when you close your eyes. Icon takes the club's primary colour as its base and dresses the whole jersey in it, which is why it reads loudest from the top of the upper deck. If you only ever own one, this is usually the one.

City Redesigned every year

The one that changes annually. City jerseys dig into the city rather than the club — a neighbourhood, a moment in local history, a piece of street art — and they only ever run for a single season. That is exactly why they age well: the year on the label tells a story later. If you like your jerseys to mean something specific, start here.

Association Home white

White base, club colours doing the talking around the collar, the armholes and the numbers. Historically the home look — the jersey the team wears in its own building. It goes with everything, which is why it outsells its louder siblings among people who don't want to look like they're heading to a game.

Statement The alternate

The third look, and the one the design team gets to have fun with — darker bases, bolder trim, sometimes an entirely new colour introduced for a single season. Statement jerseys are where a club's graphics department says something.

06

Whose name to put on the back

Most people arrive knowing the name they want. These are the ones we carry for Los Angeles Lakers — the ones with a full page are marked.

07

Which season's design?

Designs change year to year — the trim on the collar, the font on the numbers, the exact shade of the base colour. Plenty of people come here hunting the year they started watching. If that is you, this is the shortcut.

08

Swingman, Replica, or Custom?

The build matters as much as the colourway. Here is what actually separates them, in plain terms.

Swingman The standard fan build

The fan jersey most people mean. Light mesh, stitched or heat-pressed lettering and numbers, and a cut that sits properly on the body without being tight. It is the right answer for roughly nine out of ten people, and it holds up to actual wear rather than hanging in a wardrobe.

Replica Lighter on the wallet

A simpler build — printed detailing rather than heavier applied lettering, and a lighter hand overall. If you want the look at the lowest entry point, this is where you start. It is not trying to be the on-court jersey.

Custom Your name, your number

Blank or pick-your-own — a name and a number of your choosing. It is the answer when the exact player is not in stock, when it is a gift for someone whose favourite never got a jersey, or when you simply want your own name across the back.

Player Edition Closest to on-court

Built to the specification the players actually wear. Heavier fabric, deeper detail, and a fit that is intentionally athletic rather than relaxed. Pick this if you care about the details people only notice up close.

09

Sizes and who they are for

Jerseys are cut to be worn over something else, which is why the tag size never quite matches a t-shirt. Here is how the runs differ.

Adult Standard sizes

The standard adult run. Jerseys are cut to be worn over a t-shirt, so the shoulder sits slightly wide by design — that is the silhouette, not a sizing error. If you want it fitted, size down; if you want the baggy look most people are after, stay true.

Women's Tapered cut

A narrower shoulder, a shorter body and a waist that actually tapers. Same design, drawn for a different frame rather than simply scaled down.

Youth For younger fans

Sized for kids and cut a little more forgivingly, because it is going to be worn hard. Worth checking the size guide against a favourite t-shirt rather than guessing from age.

Big & Tall Extra length

Added length and width for taller or broader frames. Same jersey, more room, without the shoulders drifting halfway down the arm.

11

Common questions

Why is the purple and gold so recognisable?
Because it has barely changed. The club has worn purple and gold since the Minneapolis years, which is unusually consistent for a franchise that has moved city. It is one of the few colour schemes in sport that reads instantly, at any distance, in any era.
Which Lakers jersey should I start with?
The purple primary colourway. It is the one that reads as the club from across a room. If you want something quieter, the white home version wears better with everything else in your wardrobe.
Is the gold trim the same across every edition?
No, and this is the detail that trips people up. The purple base holds, but the gold shifts slightly between editions and between seasons. If you are matching a jersey to one you already own, go by the season rather than by the colour name.
Which Lakers edition should I start with?
The primary colourway. It is the version that reads as the club from across a room, and it is the one most people are picturing when they decide they want a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. Add a throwback later if you want the vintage look as well.
Does the design change every season?
The primary and white looks stay stable; the alternate and the annually redesigned city edition change. If you are after a specific year's design, use the season list above — the shelf is sorted by exactly that.
Can I put my own name on a Los Angeles Lakers jersey?
Yes. The Custom collection covers blank and pick-your-own builds, and the size guide has the measurements you need before ordering.
What is the difference between Swingman and Replica?
Swingman is the heavier, more durable build with applied lettering — the one that stands up to being worn. Replica is lighter and printed, and is the lower entry point. Both carry the same design.

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