BLACK jerseys are a rarity nowadays in the PBA, with majority of the team's opting to go with the usual reds or blues for their away jerseys.
That's why when teams are decked out in those dark threads, it's always a pleasant sight.
TNT, believe it or not, is the latest to join the ranks.
Traditionally decked in blue, white, or yellow, the Tropang Giga are going another way for their game against Meralco on Saturday playing in black "Giga Mamba" jerseys.
And take our word for it, those TNT jerseys look fresh.
Spin.ph couldn't help but look back on the other teams which dared to wear black kits for the past decade and see which were hits and which just totally missed the point.
Hit: Alaska
It's safe to say that everybody loves those black Alaska jerseys.
And we have every reason to believe so, with the Aces management fully aware of the novelty of bringing out those kits.
“We use it on special situations," said team manager Dickie Bachmann in a previous interview, with Alaska usually bringing these jerseys come playoff time.
Bachmann even bared that team owner Wilfred Uytengsu had a hand in bringing those jerseys to reality, wanting to see his side look sharp.
Well, Alaska really did.
Miss: Blackwater
Look, Blackwater was still finding its bearings when it entered the league in 2014. And aesthetic-wise, the Elite has since come a long way.
It's difficult to have a pleasant-looking jersey when you get the logo that Blackwater had, and the black threads surely struggled to make it work.
And it's no surprise that after its maiden conference, the Elite scrapped those jerseys, with team owner Dioceldo Sy citing bad feng shui for the move, and opted for the royal blue-and-yellow jerseys and, eventually, their sleek red-and-blacks today.
Hit: Phoenix Pulse
Historically, Phoenix has been daring with its eye-popping jersey choices.
And after staying with the red, yellow, and white colorways since entering the league in 2016, the Fuel Masters kicked it up a notch and brought out a brand-new black uniform for the 2019 season.
The black jerseys, which came when the team was under the Phoenix Pulse banner, stood out with its red fuel design just below the team jerseys as it hoped to live up to the league's dark horse tag.
And the Fuel Masters did, making it to their first semifinal appearance in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup.
But tough luck followed suit, starting from Calvin Abueva's indefinite suspension to the team missing the playoffs in the import-laden conferences and the eventual sacking of coach Louie Alas.
After a season, the now-Phoenix Super LPG rebranded anew to its easy-on-the-eyes teal threads.
Miss: GlobalPort
Do we really have to talk about this?
Before GlobalPort (now NorthPort) settled on its orange and red team colors, it had to make do with black jerseys. Frankly, those were an eyesore.
From the black jerseys with a dunking man on its logo when it first started in the league in 2012, to their minimalist design with the team name written in front, to the horrendous sleeved jerseys, the Batang Pier had a terrible track record when it came to their threads.
The best iteration of the GlobalPort black jerseys came when it flirted with its neon green logo design, and it wasn't long before the team scrapped those dark threads altogether to go all in on those neons.
Hit: Mahindra
Less is more, and Mahindra (now Terrafirma) sure got the memo when it rebranded for the nth time to the Floodbuster.
Coming off its lone playoff appearance to date with a quarterfinal finish in the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup, Mahindra entered the new season with its black-and-reds, going minimalist with only the team's name written in front of the jersey.
The shorts had a big red stripe on its upper side which really looked slick on the court.
Those eye-soothing threads, however, hardly inspired good fortune for the Floodbuster, who only won six games through two conferences before being renamed anew to Kia Picanto.
Hit: Barako Bull
Barako Bull struggled to collect wins in its late years in the PBA, but it sure had tolerable jerseys to boot.
Its black threads certainly stood out among those.
Used occasionally in the 2012-13 season, players like Willie Miller and Mick Pennisi donned those uniforms for the Energy Cola.
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