With the NCAA Final Four making its return to New Orleans this year, SLAM has teamed up with 19nine to release an iconic keepsake collection of retro shorts from four legendary years in college basketball history.
19nine dove deep into the archives to bring back some college basketball classics for their latest ensemble, the 19nine Legacy Collection, which features four retro pairs of Michigan, UConn, Syracuse and Cincinnati 19nine Legacy shorts. Each pair is expertly crafted with the original materials and designs from when they first debuted in the 90s and early 2000s, while also maintaining the comfort and premium finishes that 19nine is known for.
“The Legacy Collection is our take on some of the greatest college basketball shorts of all time,” says 19nine VP and co-owner Josh Barnett. “Two of the four have a direct tie to New Orleans, home to this year’s Final Four and the other two are some of our favorite shorts of all time. With the Legacy Collection we wanted to challenge ourselves to produce a product that looks and feels like it’s from the era it represents in the premium 19nine way. Stitched piping, embroidered logos, no pockets. Straight old school. We hope you love them as much as we loved bringing them back to life.”
The collection, which will be available April 1, captures all of the nostalgia and history that was made throughout each team’s NCAA tournament appearance, including the iconic shorts worn by the Fab 5 during Michigan’s Final Four run back in New Orleans back in 1993 (if you know, you know that the Fab 5 weren’t just certified-buckets, but major trendsetters).
The 19nine Legacy Collection also captures the magic of Cincinnati’s Elite Eight run in 1996, where they eventually lost to Mississippi State, as well as UConn’s first-ever championship title win in 1999. Richard Hamilton, who won Final Four Most Outstanding Player, rocked these shorts as he cut down the net for the first time. Now you can, too.
The final pair in the collection pays homage to the Syracuse Orange, led by then-freshman Carmelo Anthony, when they won the first title in school history in 2003. Legendary.
The 19nine Legacy Collection drops this Friday on SLAMgoods at 3pm ET. Stay tuned.
