Lynx playing in new "Rebel Edition" jerseys with a message bigger than basketball

By Marielle Mohs

July 10, 2023 / 7:26 PM / CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – You can see the Minnesota Lynx show off a new look on the Target Center court this season.

The "Rebel Edition" uniform will be worn a total of 11 times this season. One of the most recent home games where the team wore these jerseys was on Sunday, July 10 against the Las Vegas Aces.

These uniforms are all black, unlike the royal blue that the Lynx typically wear.

The black is symbolic of warm up shirts that said "Change Starts with Us" that the team wore back in July of 2016. It was in response to the shootings of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. They are two Black men who were shot and killed by police officers just a day apart on July 5 and 6 in 2016.

"We were the first team in sports to use our platform in that way," said Carley Knox, the Lynx's president of business operations.

Knox said these new uniforms honor a time when the Lynx showed the public exactly what they stand for.

"It's rooted in our history of activism and our social justice work, and really that's been at the core of our values since our inception," Knox said.

Knox says in this context, the name "Rebel" means unapologetic.

"We are who we are, we're never gonna change," Knox said. "We're always gonna speak up when we see any sort of injustice."

Every detail of the uniform has meaning, including the phrase, "Change Start with Us" along the side banding and on the waist band of the shorts. There are also four darker green stripes down the side body that represent the four championships the Lynx have won. The lines start small and grow in size to describe their growing dynasty.

Knox say the statement the Lynx made back in 2016 gave other pro-teams permission to do the same.

"The Lynx led the way, and it just makes you so proud that this is our hometown team and that it is so much bigger than basketball," Knox said.

The public can purchase the "Rebel Edition" jersey at the team store at Target Center or online here.

Marielle Mohs is thrilled to be telling stories in her home state of Minnesota. She grew up in Eden Prairie and South Minneapolis.

First published on July 10, 2023 / 7:26 PM

MINNEAPOLIS