The NBA All-Star uniforms for the game February 15th were unveiled Monday, and we’re seeing some pretty significant design changes coming from official NBA uniform supplier Adidas.

First, the uniforms make sewing a thing of the past, using heat-welding instead of traditional stitching to ensure more maneuverability and less irritation from loose seams inside the jersey. The letters and numbers are attached through a similar gluing process to reduce the overall weight of the uniform by 31%. Additionally the “gripper” waistband makes sure the jersey doesn’t accidentally become untucked from the shorts. God forbid.

Also, the uniforms will use extra ventilation over “heat zones,” ensuring the players stay cool in the areas in which it’s most needed. The uniform is supposed to be worn over Adidas TechFit compression equipment which theoretically reduces fatigue and improves recovery time.

And last but not least, Adidas made sure that the aesthetic design of the jersey paid tribute to the host city. The horizontal lines under the armholes represent the famous rock formations of Phoenix (so says Mens Fitness. I don’t really see it) while the gradually changing colors (yellow to red on the West jersey and blue to light blue on the East) represent the rising from the ashes of the legendary bird who shares its name with the city.

The uniforms should be available on NBA.com on January 22nd. NikeBlog maintains that the NBA should reuse the sweetest-ever uniforms from the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, cacti and all, which was the last time the All-Star Game visited Phoenix if memory serves. Those were absolutely rad.

via MensFitness.com