Why The LA Lakers Wear Purple And Gold Uniforms

The LA Lakers still wear the purple and gold color combination to this day, but the exact details have changed over the years. Though Jack Kent Cooke wanted the monarchial associations that come with the color purple, he didn't like the name. Thus the Lakers' dark hue was officially called "Forum blue" until Cooke sold the Lakers in 1979. The new owners were comfortable calling it "royal purple," and eventually just "purple."

The arrangement of the colors has also changed over the years. Player numbers have alternated between white and purple several times, and whether they have a drop shadow or not has varied too. Along with the rest of the NBA, the Lakers' uniforms have also shifted to longer and looser shorts since the 1990s. According to Christopher Arena, an NBA vice president, this came from the league's deal with Champion, which allowed custom sizing.

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