The Cleveland Museum of Art Inspires Cleveland Cavaliers 2024–25 Nike NBA City Edition Uniform Design

CLEVELAND (November 14, 2024)—The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and the Cleveland Cavaliers, two of Cleveland’s most prominent and prized organizations, have teamed up for the Cavaliers’ 2024–2025 Nike NBA City Edition uniform. The uniform, which debuts on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, was unveiled at press conference hosted in the Ames Family Atrium at the CMA today. 

“Art and sport are two powerful forms of human expression, and this is a great opportunity to highlight all the ways that they both inspire and connect people from every walk of life,” said Todd Mesek, chief marketing officer at the CMA. “This partnership not only celebrates the great traditions that connect us but also the opportunities we have to inspire the next generation of youth.”   

This year’s uniform can transform wearers into artists by way of the jersey and shorts’ most distinctive feature—“torn-away pieces” on the side panels. The pieces reveal a coloring-book pattern with iconic Cleveland motifs, symbols, and Cavaliers artwork. The pattern encourages fans of all ages to customize their own jerseys by coloring in the symbols. 

“We designed this year’s jersey to take fans back to where most of them first encountered art—through coloring books and paint by numbers—while connecting them to a beloved Cleveland institution,” said Chris Kaiser, chief marketing officer for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  

Renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, the CMA holds more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The CMA’s rich schedule of special exhibitions and programs provides new and ever-changing opportunities to ensure that all audiences can see themselves in their museum, as well as discover the art and culture of traditions outside their own. Free of charge to all, the CMA’s mission is to create transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”  

INSPIRING YOUTH THROUGH ART  

The Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cavaliers are committed to inspiring the future generation of our community through art and basketball, respectively. To positively impact the youth of Northeast Ohio through art and art education, the CMA and the Cavaliers will donate $10,000 to Rainey Institute. Rainey Institute will be awarded a check at the final City Edition home game on Friday, March 27, 2025, against the San Antonio Spurs.  

Rainey Institute is a community organization offering children of all ages the opportunity to discover and develop their talents after school, on weekends, and over the summer through arts education programming. Rainey Institute believes in the power of the arts to change lives, and, as a long-time beneficiary of the Cavaliers Community Foundation, Rainey Institute’s mission aligns perfectly with the partners’ commitment to fostering creativity and empowering youth in Northeast Ohio.  

Fans interested in learning more about the 2024–25 Nike NBA City Edition uniform and collection can visit cavs.com/city.  

MIXING ART AND SPORTS 

The Cleveland Museum of Art has partnered with the Cavaliers for its monthly MIX event on December 6, 2024, themed “Art of the Game,” in the Ames Family Atrium at the museum. This 21+ event that takes place on the first Friday of every month features an all-night set of party music from DJ Steph Floss, the Cavaliers’ official DJ, as well as appearances from the Cavaliers Dance Team and Scream Team.  

Guests also have the opportunity to visit the Cavaliers pop-up store showcasing a CMA-and-Cavaliers cobranded T-shirt and to check out a display featuring the latest line of Donovan Mitchell’s D.O.N. Issue #6 signature Adidas shoes. Guests are encouraged to wear their classiest pair of sneakers to the event to show off their own personal style.  

Tickets for MIX: Art of the Game are available at clevelandart.org/events/mix-art-game. 

THE HOME-COURT DESIGN 

A special City Edition court has been designed to accompany the team’s uniform during designated City Edition games throughout the season.  

The City Edition home court incorporates the same torn-away coloring book pattern as the uniform. The left side of the hardwood floor is accented in light blue and the right side in a darker blue. At half-court, “The Land” Logo is displayed, complementing the design on the chest of the uniform.  

“Cleveland” is featured on the left baseline, with “Cavaliers” on the right baseline. The west sideline features the Cavaliers “Let em know” mantra. The Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse logo is displayed on either side of the half-court, along with the Cavs logo, which is featured within the three-point arc.  In addition, several other Cavaliers partners have prominent placement on the hardwood, including the logo of Cleveland-Cliffs on the left and right baselines, as well as that of Betway on the east sideline.  

A replica of the court design makes an appearance at the Cleveland Museum of Art in the Ames Family Atrium Thursday, November 11, through Friday, November 15, and again Tuesday, November 18, through Thursday, November 21, 2024. 

THE ART OF THE GAME 

The Cavaliers wear the alternate uniform for six games throughout the 2024–25 season. In addition to the debut on Sunday, November 17, 2024, against the Charlotte Hornets, fans can look forward to the following City Edition games:  

• Thursday, December 5, versus the Denver Nuggets at 7:00 p.m. (national broadcast)  
• Monday, December 23, versus the Utah Jazz at 7:00 p.m. 
• Sunday, January 12, versus the Indiana Pacers at 6:00 p.m. 
• Wednesday, March 5, versus the Miami Heat at 7:00 p.m. (national broadcast)  
• Thursday, March 27, versus the San Antonio Spurs at 7:00 p.m.   

The Cavaliers give away SWORD yearbooks presented by PSP featuring the City Edition uniform on the cover on Monday, December 23, 2024, against the Utah Jazz and City Edition coloring books championed by Cleveland-Cliffs on Saturday, January 12, 2025, against the Indiana Pacers.  

Tickets for the City Edition-themed nights and all Cavaliers home games are available at cavs.com/schedule.  

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About the Cleveland Museum of Art  

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and performing arts and is a leader in digital innovation. One of the leading encyclopedic art museums in the United States, the CMA is recognized for its award-winning open access program—which provides free digital access to images and information about works in the museum’s collection—and free of charge to all. The museum is located in the University Circle neighborhood with two satellite locations on Cleveland’s west side: the Community Arts Center and Transformer Station. 

The museum is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and made possible in part by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. For more information about the museum and its holdings, programs, and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit cma.org. 

About the Cleveland Cavaliers  

The Cleveland Cavaliers, founded in 1970, are a professional basketball team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in 2016 while also taking the Eastern Conference crown in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Known for their community support, workplace diversity, and local economic impact, the team plays at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Both the Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse are part of Rock Entertainment Group, the umbrella entity of sports and entertainment properties under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies. The Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse provide fans with the best experience in the NBA with an extensive and stunning array of amenities, technology, and signature, electrifying game presentation. Dan Gilbert is Chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nic Barlage is the Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and Rock Entertainment Group CEO, and the Cavaliers team is led by President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman, General Manager Mike Gansey, and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson.  

About Rainey Institute  

Rainey Institute is where the arts change lives by enriching and inspiring a broad community of learners through excellent, accessible arts programming. With a commitment to holistic youth development, Rainey’s programs utilize the arts as a platform to empower youth to become confident individuals who value creativity, learning, diversity, and self-expression. Rainey offers year-round music, drama, dance, visual arts, and culinary programs after school, during the summer, and on weekends. Each year, 1,000 youth from the Cleveland area engage in Rainey's programs at campuses in the Hough and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods. Whether a child is interested in the intensive study of one art form or simply seeking an arts-enriched experience, Rainey is here to provide possibilities to Cleveland’s deserving kids and their hardworking families.