Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Chicago Bulls introduced a new version of one of the most renowned uniforms in sports history, the "Statement Edition" uniform. Featuring a black base and red pinstripes, the uniform pulled inspiration from the jerseys worn from 1995-97, 2007-08 and 2012-13, while adding modern design elements, including a new waistband, neck and arm piping, an insert on the shorts, stars on the waistband and Chicago text on the front.
Given this would mark just the third-ever Bulls Statement Edition uniform throughout the organization’s nearly 60-year history and evoke fans memories of the championship run, the team wanted to honor the rich tradition while extending the Bulls brand beyond basketball into broader culture with an emphasis on street style. Basketball and fashion are so closely intertwined, and the team saw an opportunity to tap into that intersection and engage fans in a new, creative way through this uniform.
The Bulls wanted the look to stand out and cut through the traditional messaging and activations that happen throughout the season. It would take an integrated campaign across Marketing, Communications, Content Marketing, Retail and Events & Entertainment to tell the story of this uniform and engage fans.
Launch: Partnering with an Icon + Generating Excitement
To launch the uniform and connect to the original pinstripe uniforms, the Bulls collaborated with legend Dennis Rodman. Rodman is more than an all-time great Bull – he's a street style icon and symbolizes the uniform’s 90s roots. The Bulls featured Rodman alongside current Bulls Coby White and Matas Buzelis, intersecting the present with the past and setting the stage for season-long programming.
The Bulls conducted an extensive photo shoot to gather assets for the campaign, providing multiple different outfits and encouraging them to wear the uniform not as if they are about to take the court, but as an everyday style piece. The team also captured their genuine reactions to seeing the jersey as well as Rodman’s personal reflections on his fashion journey. Rodman was quoted saying, “I used to wear the jersey all the time – only the jersey.” - supporting the Bulls’ thesis that the jersey can stand on its own.
The Bulls launched Statement Edition on August 5, 2025, announcing that the uniform would go on sale on Oct. 15. One month later, the team shared that it would wear Statement Edition for the first time on Halloween against the New York Knicks. This gap between launch and on-sale was strategic, as it allowed the Bulls to generate excitement through additional content, launch a supporting retail collection, and drive marketing opt-ins for shop.bulls.com.
Gameday Activations
Once the season began, the Bulls knew they needed to develop themed gameday activations. The Bulls hosted 9 Statement Edition Nights at home, matching the look-and-feel of team’s uniforms throughout the arena. From the video boards and in-game PA to special player introductions and an immersive pregame experience in the atrium, the themed game presentation “made a Statement.”
Season-Long Promotions
The campaign engaged fans outside of games, too. From sneaky out-of-home advertisements that went live before the official launch to integrating a display at Bulls Fest 2025, the Bulls educated fans on the uniform and drove marketing opt-ins ahead of the official on-sale. Within their existing in-house retail label, the Bulls also created a Statement Edition retail collection, leveraging the pinstripes for a variety of clothing items and demonstrating the uniform’s ability to seamlessly integrate into fashion. The Bulls leveraged its annual Content Day to capture players for future promotions.
Broader Culture Integration
At launch, the Bulls also gifted the uniform to small group of influencers who represent Chicago culture through their work, community presence and Bulls fandom. We targeted individuals who naturally align with the fashion-forward campaign, with the goal of driving organic awareness through credible, authentic voices. Throughout the season, the Bulls also exclusively used the Statement Edition jersey when gifting to visiting celebrities, such as P1Harmony, Adam Sandler, Caleb Williams and others.
To connect with youth audiences, we partnered with jersey enthusiast and YouTube creator, James Riedel. The video received more than 120K long-form views and included exclusive access and behind-the-scenes insights into the design decisions of a team's uniform
The Bulls successfully generated excitement around the new Statement Edition uniform in a way that both honored the past while extending the team’s brand beyond basketball into broader culture.
Earned Media Commentary
A rarity for almost any jersey launch, the uniform received nearly unanimous approval online, placing first in CBS’ sports uniform rankings and receiving positive feedback from prominent sports journalists from NBC Sports, Front Office Sports and GQ.
In just one week following the launch, the Bulls received at least 81 total media mentions, 6X more possible impressions and more than 2X stories than last season’s City Edition launch. The story ran internationally and cut through into prominent outlets, including COMPLEX, ESPN and NBC Sports.
Social Media
On social media during August, content received 17.9M impressions, 3.7M video views, 947.7K engagements across 51 posts. The highest performing post, a video of Dennis Rodman describing his style, received 2.2M impressions, 80K engagements and 5.6K shares alone.
In-arena / retail
Launching the Statement Edition Collection was one of the Bulls’ largest retail priorities this season. The team successfully amplified and maximized excitement around launch, driving online sales early and momentum beyond Chicago. In-arena sales have also been extremely strong throughout the season, as most products have sold out.
The Bulls broke through the crowded online conversation around sports uniforms with a creative online and in-person campaign that honored the rich tradition of the franchise while extending the Bulls brand beyond basketball.
