Duke to Wear "Equality" Jerseys in Upcoming Season

New look is inspired by NBA Bubble

Duke basketball has had plenty of alternate jerseys in recent years. Last year, the Blue Devils wore their usual white home and blue road uniforms, as well as black jerseys, throwbacks to classic Duke looks of the past and an ill-advised 1924 inspired look for the first UNC game.

The Blue Devils unveiled a different jersey alteration for the upcoming season, inspired by the NBA Bubble in Orlando. A video of the jerseys being prepared was tweeted out by the school’s official account.

Duke’s jerseys will feature the player’s name over the number, as usual, and the word “EQUALITY” under the number.

That’s the opposite of the NBA design, which had the player name below the jersey number and a player-chosen phrase—from a list of pre-approved phrases that included EQUALITY—across the top.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski has been a very outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement during the offseason, and the players have been very involved in social justice causes. Wendell Moore Jr. organized a protest march in his hometown near Charlotte, and Nolan Smith organized an on-campus event where Krzyzewski spoke.

Current and former players have also formed several working groups to address social justice concerns.

Three years ago, Duke players wore black t-shirts bearing the word EQUALITY for warmups for a preseason exhibition game.

It’s not clear whether the Blue Devils will wear the EQUALITY jerseys for all home games or if it’s an alternate that will be used on certain occasions. It’s also not clear if there will be similar EQUALITY jerseys for road games.