NBA Hardwood Classics 2026-27 Leak: Nuggets Go Orange as the Denver Rockets, Spurs Bring Back ABA Silver

The 2026-27 NBA Hardwood Classics just leaked, and the Denver Nuggets are going orange. Retail versions of a Denver Nuggets ABA jersey and a San Antonio Spurs ABA jersey surfaced on Instagram this week: an orange DENVER throwback from the franchise's Denver Rockets years, and a silver SPURS throwback from the club's first ABA seasons in San Antonio.

Neither team nor the NBA has shown these uniforms yet. Treat everything below as leaked and unconfirmed until they do. What we can do is tell you where the leak came from, why we think it is more likely real than not, what the originals looked like, and when Denver and San Antonio would most likely wear them.

Where the Leak Came From

The images were posted on September 28 by the Instagram account @allinliveee ("ALL IN LIVE", about 17,000 followers), which posts jersey release news. The post is a three-image carousel captioned as the 2026-27 Nike Spurs "Victor Wembanyama" and Nuggets "Nikola Jokic" Classic Edition Swingman jerseys: a Wembanyama No. 1 in silver and a Jokic No. 15 in orange, front and back.

Leaked 2026-27 Classic Edition Swingman jerseys, via @allinliveee on Instagram. Not confirmed by the teams or the NBA.

Is the Nuggets and Spurs ABA Jersey Leak Real?

We think it probably is, for four reasons:

• They are retail product, not renders. These are photos of finished Nike Swingman jerseys with player names, Nike jock tags and hang tags attached. Mockups and fan concepts do not come with tags.
• The four-team ABA plan was reported in February. On February 21, ProLine Mockups reported on X that the Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Spurs would all get ABA throwback Classic Edition uniforms for 2026-27. This leak matches that list.
• The Pacers piece leaked in August. Royal blue Pacers Classic shorts, reportedly in an early 1970s ABA road style, turned up on Instagram in August.
• One of the four is already official. The Brooklyn Nets have tagged a jersey for every game on their own schedule page, and 16 of their 80 games are Classic Edition, including an ABA Night on November 18. The full breakdown is in our Nets uniform schedule.

What it does not prove: the exact dates, whether the on-court version differs from the retail Swingman in small details, and the official name each team gives the set. Nike and the NBA call these Classic Edition; "Hardwood Classics" is the older league brand that fans still use for them.

Why Four Former ABA Teams Are Going Retro in 2026-27

On June 17, 1976, the ABA and NBA agreed to merge, and four ABA clubs came over: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and San Antonio Spurs. The Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis were folded instead. The 2026-27 season is the 50th anniversary of that merger, and it is also season 60 for all four franchises, which all date back to the ABA's first season in 1967-68.

That is the reported reason for the set: the four clubs that survived the ABA, dressed as their ABA selves, in the same season.

We have not seen any other team's 2026-27 Classic Edition leak. Outside the four ABA clubs, the throwbacks we know about this season are ones teams already own, like the Sixers' black Iverson-era Classic.

The Leaked Nuggets ABA Jersey: The Denver Rockets in Orange

The leaked Nuggets jersey is bright orange with DENVER arched across the chest in black block letters outlined in white, black numbers outlined in white, and black and white trim around the collar and arm holes. The back carries the name and number in the same black and white.

The history. The franchise was a charter member of the ABA in 1967. It was going to be the Denver Larks, but owner Bill Ringsby renamed the club the Denver Rockets before it played a game, after his Ringsby Rocket trucking company. The team's black, orange and white came straight off those trucks, and the Rockets wore them from 1967-68 through 1970-71 before switching to blue and gold. The Rockets name had to go when the club prepared for the NBA, which already had a team in Houston, and a fan contest produced Nuggets in 1974, after Denver's old NBL club.

The orange era is the Spencer Haywood era. Haywood came out of the University of Detroit and in 1969-70, his only ABA season, won MVP and Rookie of the Year while averaging 30 points and 19.5 rebounds. Denver then reached the final ABA Finals in 1976, losing to Julius Erving's New York Nets in six games, which makes a Nuggets vs Nets ABA night this season a genuine rematch.

Why it matters for the closet. Denver's current set is white, midnight navy, the royal Statement and the white Rainbow Skyline City Edition. Orange appears nowhere in that closet, so this would be the only jersey in the closet that looks nothing like the rest of it. That is exactly what a throwback should do.

The Leaked Spurs ABA Jersey: San Antonio's First Silver

The leaked Spurs jersey is silver with the 1970s SPURS wordmark across the chest, the one with a cowboy spur standing in for the U, in black outlined in white, with black numbers and black and white trim.

The history. The Spurs began as the Dallas Chaparrals in 1967, in red, white and blue. A San Antonio group led by Angelo Drossos took over the club in 1973, briefly named it the Gunslingers, and then settled on Spurs before a game was played. The new name came with black, silver and white, starting in 1973-74, and the Spurs have kept those colors ever since. This jersey is the look from those first San Antonio seasons, the George Gervin years, before the club entered the NBA in 1976.

San Antonio's most recent Classic Edition was a black 1970s-inspired uniform for the franchise's 50th season in San Antonio in 2022-23. The 2026-27 version is the silver one.

Why it matters for the closet. San Antonio already wears a silver San Antonio Statement, so an ABA silver would put two silver alternates in one closet. We flagged that in our closet ranking before the leak, and the leak confirms it. The saving grace is the wordmark, which is one of the best in basketball.

When Will the Nuggets and Spurs Wear the ABA Jerseys?

Not announced. Neither the Nuggets nor the Spurs have tagged uniforms on their schedules yet, and the league's own schedule feed has no jersey data for any team as of September 30. We check it weekly.

The best clue is Brooklyn. The Nets have already booked their Classic Edition for games against all three of the other ABA clubs, which suggests the league is building ABA vs ABA nights into the schedule. Our read, not an announcement:

The March 1 game is the one we would circle. Brooklyn is scheduled to wear its throwback on the road in Denver, and a road team only wears an alternate like that when the home side has something to wear against it. An orange Nuggets Rockets jersey against a Nets throwback would be the ABA Finals of 1976 on a 2027 floor. Denver also plays at San Antonio on February 28 and hosts the Spurs on March 3, so that one week has three ABA vs ABA games.

We will fill in the real dates the moment the teams post them, in the Nuggets uniform schedule and the Spurs uniform schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Nuggets getting an ABA throwback jersey in 2026-27?

Reportedly, yes. A retail Nikola Jokic Classic Edition Swingman jersey in orange with DENVER across the chest leaked on Instagram on September 28, 2026. It is based on the Denver Rockets uniforms of 1967 to 1971. The Nuggets have not confirmed it.

What are the NBA Hardwood Classics for 2026-27?

The reported 2026-27 set is four ABA throwbacks for the four clubs that joined the NBA in the 1976 merger: the Nuggets, Pacers, Nets and Spurs. It marks the 50th anniversary of the merger. The Nets' Classic Edition is already on their official schedule for 16 games. Nike's current name for these uniforms is Classic Edition.

What does the Spurs ABA jersey look like?

The leaked version is silver with the 1970s SPURS wordmark, where a cowboy spur forms the U, in black outlined in white, with black numbers. It is the look the Spurs wore in their first seasons in San Antonio, starting in 1973-74.

Why did the Denver Nuggets wear orange?

As the Denver Rockets, the club took its black, orange and white from owner Bill Ringsby's Ringsby Rocket trucking company. Denver wore those colors from 1967-68 through 1970-71 and became the Nuggets in 1974.

When will the Nuggets and Spurs wear their Classic Edition jerseys?

Not announced. Watch the games against the other ABA clubs, including Nuggets at Spurs on February 28, Nets at Nuggets on March 1 and Spurs at Nuggets on March 3. We will post confirmed dates in each team's uniform schedule.

Is the leak real?

We think it is likely. The photos show finished Nike retail jerseys with tags, the four-team plan was reported in February, a Pacers piece leaked in August, and the Nets' Classic Edition is already official. Until the Nuggets and Spurs post them, it stays unconfirmed.

The Bottom Line

The leaked 2026-27 Hardwood Classics put Denver back in Rockets orange and give San Antonio its original ABA silver back, for the 50th anniversary of the merger that brought both teams into the NBA. The leak looks solid, the dates are not out yet, and the week of February 28 to March 3 is the one to watch. We will grade both when the teams make them official.

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