John Stockton admits he is offended watching jersey swaps between players: "I never thought it was mine to share" originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Jersey swaps are one of the more common traditions among NBA players today. At the end of the games, two players from opposing sides swap their jerseys as a sign of mutual respect and take a photo to document the exchange.
But while players today accept jersey swaps as part of the culture, old-school player John Stockton , who played in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, isn't too fond of them.
"I'm a little offended by jersey swaps, frankly, the whole notion. I look at it as the jersey belongs to the team. And at the end of the season, if we were lucky enough, they would let us take a jersey home or something. But for the early part of my career, we were saving the jerseys for next year. I wore college jerseys for four years, so did the guys after me, wore the same jerseys. So I never thought it was mine to share," said Stockton.
While it's common for players today to have a new jersey every game because some players, especially the stars, give their game-worn jerseys to fans after every game, it wasn't the same practice back then, as player uniforms were considered "sacred."
On Valentine's Day 1990, Michael Jordan was forced to wear an unnamed No.12 jersey during a game against the Orlando Magic because the No.23 jersey he was going to wear for that game was stolen in their locker room, and the Bulls ' equipment manager did not bring an extra one to the game.
Although it showed that players often had more than one jersey back then, the fact that no backup was initially brought to the stadium and security had to search for it before MJ chose to wear another highlighted just how "one-of-a-kind" player jerseys were at the time. According to reports, when the jersey was found hidden behind a ceiling tile, Orlando arena officials mailed the jersey back to the Bulls.
The practice of jersey swaps, however, began long before Stockton was born, but in soccer (football). According to the New York Times , the first recorded incident of a jersey swap happened in 1931 during a match between France and England when the Frenchmen asked to keep their English counterparts' upper uniforms. During the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Brazilian superstar Pelé also swapped shirts with English captain Bobby Moore and from there it became a tradition.
Soon, the fad hit North America with the NFL, MLB and NBA following suit. Most notably, another Hall of Famer in Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade swapped jerseys with a member of the opposing team in each of the regular-season games he played as part of his retirement tour during his final NBA campaign in 2018-19.
"I've been able to swap jerseys with some of the guys I play against," said Wade. "We play in such a league where guys tell each other 'don't give them their roses' when they are playing together, when they are competitors. But that was a cool moment for a lot of guys to share what their feelings are for each other and the impact that we've made on each other's careers and lives."
You can't blame Stockton for being a hardcore old-school guy. However, when you listen to Wade's explanation, it's not about who really owns the jersey you are wearing. It's about sharing experiences and showing respect to one's peers.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
