First impression: I like Wizards’ the new digs duds. I really like them. They were done with a style that lends itself to merchandise that people of various demographics would be proud to sport. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Sure, it’s partially about the money, gladly advertised by the team to ‘Buy! Buy! Buy!’, but in order for that to happen, they must look good. People have to want them. I think people will want these.

I attended the unveiling and wrote an online article for the Washington City Paper. I urge you to check it out, it’s all about how the Wizard is not completely dead, not just yet. I halfway expected both home and away jerseys to say “Washington” on the front (the New York Knicks do this), but “Wizards” stays as a reminder to the home fans — that and the color replacement version of the old Wizards logo you see above on the official reproduction guideline sheet, which is just about the only place you’ll see it going forward, according to the team.

The new branding is modern, it’s retro, it provides the colors people expect. It also is a style that can happily adapt itself to further change down the road. Ted Leonsis will zip his lips and slowly back out of a room when the topic of a name change now comes up, but it almost seems inevitable with this well-built foundation of color change success. Only not back to “Bullets.” Not reasonably going to happen.

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