Originally posted by plawrence:
I'll tell you what I think is funny, though: How they make these "throwback" jerseys for players who didn't play back in the days when the jersey was worn. 
The reason for this is money and licensing. Because a guy like Julius Erving is retired, Nike cannot make a Dr. J jersey unless they pay the NBA Players Association. But they can make as many jerseys of Allen Iverson as they want. Since people want retro jerseys, they will give them a retro jersey that they can legally produce without having to pay anyone anything.
There is another company, Mitchell & Ness, which actually does have the rights to make retro jerseys of guys like Erving, Bill Russell, Jerry West, etc. But their jerseys cost in excess of $200, a price range that only rappers and LeBron James can afford.
