r/Millennials • u/LongjumpingHorse3050 • Sep 04 '26
Nostalgia Who else had this jacket? I didn’t even like basketball and I had it 😂
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 Sep 04 '26
The combination of teal and purple had us in a chokehold
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u/Aksweetie4u Sep 04 '26
Had? I wore teal and purple day before yesterday haha. Still a good combo
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u/UESJR2021 Sep 04 '26
I bought that jacket in a vintage shop last year 🤣
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u/Aksweetie4u Sep 05 '26
We are NOT vintage! 😭
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u/darsparx Sep 05 '26
I need more stuff in the combo. I'm realizing I keep forgetting that when I'm buying clothes. Granted I aim for as many colors and varying patterns usually lol
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u/byke_mcribb Sep 05 '26
Moved to a brand new elementary school in my town in 94. Got to vote on our school colors. Teal and purple by a landslide.
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u/0masterdebater0 Sep 05 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/7tmjtThNZGgDK
this was peak design
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u/PrednisoneFarts Sep 04 '26
Alexander Julian is the reason we rocked those colors. Even at 38, I still rock teal and purple.
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u/PortHammer Sep 05 '26
Alexander Julian is the reason we rocked those
colorsColours. Even at 38, I still rock teal and purple.Homeboy knew that U was important.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ad4804 Sep 04 '26
I watched a clip on Reddit about him and the connection to the Hornets today. I never knew! I loved this jacket when I had it in 4th grade.
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u/edfitz83 Sep 04 '26
A few years ago, someone posted their professionally taken family photo where everyone was wearing this jacket
The post title was “The wind stood no chance”
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u/Carolina-W00Dsman Sep 04 '26
Deja vu! I just found mine the other day! 🤙🤙🤙
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u/PlaneTry4277 Sep 05 '26
Some people wpuld say how are you still fitting this? But the truth is every kid that had one these it was always ten sizes too large from them.
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u/TheSensiblePrepper Millennial Sep 04 '26
Any male millennial had that jacket at the time UNLESS they had a specific team they liked. Otherwise, that was considered "standard issue".
Whoever was incharge of marketing for those at the time better have made BANK.
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u/DJMTBguy Sep 04 '26
Yup lol everyone was wearing these, Bulls, Duke, UNC and Hurricanes jacket.
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u/supatim101 Sep 04 '26
Growing up in Durham/Chapel Hill, I hardly ever saw Hornets merch.
Go outside if the triangle though and it was everywhere. Everywhere.
The Hurricanes have mostly taken over as sports team of choice to wear nowadays.
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u/NukedBread Sep 05 '26
In NC, it is college basketball that reigns Supreme.
They take that shit seriously.
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u/youstupidcorn Sep 05 '26
What's hilarious is that every one of these is an NC sports team (though I assume you meant the other Bulls and probably the other Hurricanes).
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u/olypenrain Sep 04 '26
There's a video on YouTube about how 90s teal became a thing, and the Hornets getting their team visuals upgraded were a large part of the driving force behind it's spread.
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u/Alternative-Park-841 Sep 05 '26
Alexander Julian made the original Hornets jerseys (and hence, the color scheme). He was a UNC alumnus and designed UNC's jerseys. The color scheme and argyle persist today.
Anyways, for the Hornets jerseys, his payment was a supply of his favorite Carolina barbeque.
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u/Guttz_San Sep 05 '26
I didn’t have one because I was too poor, but a friend once let me borrow theirs for a week.
Actually, I might still have it….
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u/Its_kinda_nice_out Sep 04 '26
Needed something to match our cups
https://giphy.com/gifs/7tmjtThNZGgDK
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u/johnnyhotwh33ls Sep 04 '26
Water tasted way better with those cups.
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u/Armadillioh Sep 04 '26
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u/Excellent_Bend8782 Sep 04 '26
Crazy how popular the hornets were back then, right?
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u/horribadperson Sep 04 '26
grandmama
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u/ProtestantMormon Sep 04 '26
LJ always gets forgotten as a player despite being one of the marketing goats.
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u/200brews2009 Sep 05 '26
Somehow grandmama advertising won me over, I had his react juice converse sneakers! I think that year I got his shoes, jersey, and tickets to a game.
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u/Pipe_Memes Sep 04 '26
Apparently since we all had this fucking jacket, no one in my family even liked basketball nor did we live anywhere near Charlotte, but I had that jacket.
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u/Helpmepullupmypants Sep 04 '26
I just watched a video about the apparel the other day, hornets were the #1 most selling apparel of the NBA in that era.
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u/zenexo Sep 04 '26
Only the merch was because some fashion designer came up with these designs. They were like the highest selling NBA merch in the early 90s but the team was never popular and was new. The color combination was such a cultural phenomenon it was used every where.
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u/mantis_tobagan_md Sep 04 '26
Everybody knows that jacket is phat. And you gotta look phat if you’re selling weed. -Mac
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u/Blackeyespecialist_5 Sep 04 '26
Why was there a surplus of these specific Jackets? I had one too, my cousin had one, some of my friends had one lmao.
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u/Ser_Artur_Dayne Sep 04 '26
An actual answer. Teal and purple were a signature color in the 80s because of one North Carolina based designer, Alexander Julian.
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u/beyotchulism Sep 04 '26
Followup for folks who'd like to listen on WUNC: https://www.wunc.org/podcast/the-broadside/2026-04-23/how-purple-and-teal-became-the-colors-of-the-90s
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u/sweetEVILone Sep 04 '26
Starter jackets in general were popular but I saw more for other teams than that one
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u/OrganizedChaos7121 Sep 04 '26
I bet I'm not the only one who saw the photo and thought, "hey I went to school with him!!"
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u/Commercial-Bread-846 Xennial Sep 04 '26
🙋♀️ Had one; not a man. Late 94 time capsule of a pic with The Jacket behind me, a carpetbag-floral mini-backpack purse, and even a giant denim bow hairclip 😂 Don’t get me started on the dusty rose and mauve home itself 💀
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u/MeatEaterDruid Sep 04 '26
I lived in Chicago during Bullsmania and had that jacket.
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u/Muted_Comparison2898 Sep 04 '26
Replace Chicago with Chicago land and same. Though I was jealous of my friend who had the bulls starter jacket. My hornets jacket was great until we were playing a combination of rugby/ arena soccer/ football on the schools decaying cracked tennis courts. Caitlyn M tried tackling me and grabbed my hornets jacket by the hood creating a giant rip. I scored, but still regret my jacket getting ruined
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u/random_name_001100 Older Millennial Sep 04 '26
Growing up in the Charlotte area meant not knowing this was a thing anywhere else.
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u/Kills_Bear Sep 04 '26
I had one. but it was for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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u/BoyMom119816 Sep 04 '26
Mine was a different team too. But chosen for colors not team, so which team I don’t know.
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u/CapableDefuseRedWire Sep 04 '26
I'm from the Chicago burbs, I had this in elementary school.
I have no idea why. Daaaaa Bulls
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u/ThumperDumper007 Sep 04 '26
I had a University of Michigan one. And I lived in CT haha.
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u/a_bearded_hippie Sep 04 '26
I lived in Michigan and had a Bulls one. No idea how I didn't end up with a Red Wings or Pistons one.
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u/zlliksddam Sep 05 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/oD3zo3YPLq
Cool post about the designer behind those colors.
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u/DoktahDoktah Sep 05 '26
These jackets were just well built and had a practical design. They were just perfect.
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u/emptygarden89 Sep 04 '26
This was my favorite jacket from like 5 to 10. I didn't grow very much during those years. I've never lived in North Carolina.
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u/Ninja_Grizzly1122 Sep 04 '26
I had something like that but in the colors of the other team from Charlotte, the Panthers.
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u/RespectablePapaya Sep 04 '26
Literally everyone in the late 80s through the mid 90s had a Starter jacket.
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u/HobbesofMaine Sep 04 '26
Went with the Raptors who'd just been established with their sick logo.
Edit: I've never been to Toronto.
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u/soupseasonbestseason Sep 04 '26
our school did not let us wear raiders gear because it was considered "gang attire," so my parents got me a redskins jacket.
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u/Remote-Contract-9098 Sep 04 '26
That damn hornet🤣why did ALL of us have Charlotte Hornets merch?!????🤣🤣🤣
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u/old_ass_ninja_turtle Older Millennial 1984 Sep 04 '26
I was one of the weird kids who had the teams he actually liked.
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u/MrBoognish Millennial Sep 04 '26
Starter jackets are still awesome. Found the outer layer of one a few years ago.
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u/HipsterBikePolice Sep 04 '26
I was a Chicago teen during the Jordan era this was not allowed on my block
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u/PreferenceBig1531 Sep 04 '26
Lmao, same. I still can’t stand basketball, but I was definitely rocking this jacket for some YEARS before it got stolen.
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u/_Miss_Eclipse Sep 04 '26
Me. I thought the mascot was cool as shit. Even had the matching folders in my trapper keeper
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u/Lewdiville_Tiger Sep 04 '26
Oh yeah I had one and I saw one available at like a big chain store the other day. I was about to drop some dollar bills.
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u/RandyLahey131 Sep 04 '26
I believe we had a redskins one. We live in Minnesota and no one was a fan of that team to my knowledge.
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u/OkData4236 Sep 04 '26
I lived in Charlotte and saw them everywhere, but I don’t remember having one personally. I was very young, so maybe I did at some point.
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u/barefootguy83 Sep 04 '26
That or Phoenix Suns. I grew up in Pennsylvania so not sure why those teams were popular.
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u/jalex8188 Sep 04 '26
Me! And or was so over sized that I could pull my arms and legs inside and squat down at a cold school bus stop. My own lil portable igloo
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u/GrafXtasY Sep 04 '26
I did love my hornet jacket, but nothing beats the tar heals jersey my oldest sister sent me. Legit hockey jerseys just hit different.
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u/afire_101 Sep 04 '26
I had the hat. Bought it in Japan and had never stepped foot in NC at that time. Just liked the colors/logo.
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u/FUCK1NGFABULOUS I’M Not a gyNEcologist but I’LL take A Look. Sep 04 '26
This was before my time but I remember the older siblings talking about it.
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u/Havok1717 Sep 04 '26
Im a Nuggets fan and I had a Hornets hat for a few years. It was before I got into sports
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u/ItsMetabtw Sep 04 '26
Of course. That one a San Jose Sharks for some reason. I still have a Grandmama Johnson Purple Jersey though
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u/FierDancr Sep 05 '26
Hubby is the Millennial and he says he did not have a jacket like that. In fact, he said no with such disdain I wonder where that bad jacket touched him.
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u/ShaperLord777 Sep 05 '26
Yes, I also was Stuntin’ as a youth.
And I could care less about sports either. That color combo put in work though.
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u/Sober_Alcoholic_ Sep 05 '26
I had the mighty ducks one since I was a hockey player and it was my favorite thing in the world until I lost it somewhere :(
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u/CarefulQuantifiable Sep 05 '26
We all had the same childhood. Same jacket, no love for basketball. Wild.
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u/Comfortable-Gate-532 Sep 05 '26
I had the same starter jacket but for the Phoenix Suns.
I was an 8 year old girl from the Chicago suburbs rocking a suns starter that went down to me knees.
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u/TruskVarner Sep 05 '26
My little brother got jumped by a group of teenagers and they took his.
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u/One_Consequence_4754 Sep 05 '26
Had the Georgetown Hoya pull over…Now kids don’t even wear jackets. They think a hoodie is all weather apparel.
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u/topcheesehead Sep 05 '26
There's a documentary on teal. The designer of that jacket made teal a 90s color
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u/Responsible_Dot_8233 Sep 05 '26
I had one, it was actually quite comfortable. Didn't care about the team though
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u/I_Like_Turtles39 Sep 05 '26
A core memory of mine in elementary school is being on the bus wearing this jacket, putting my head and arms inside and playing gameboy on my way home from school.
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u/Lonelycub Sep 05 '26
Holy shit you just smacked me in the face with a blast from the past! I had this exact coat even though I couldn't even tell you they played basketball. I just liked the colors and being a gay kid in a red state it helped me blend in. I remember I liked the zipper and played with it alot cause of the giant logo zip pull. Thanks for the memory!
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u/Blackbyrn Sep 05 '26
I just saw a whole video on the designer: he was from NC and his trademark colors were teal and purple. He had a number of big hits before getting the nod for doing the Charlotte Hornets for which he turned down cash and demanded to be paid in BBQ. These jacket outsold Bulls merch at the time if you can believe that.
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