The Minnesota Timberwolves brought back their Prince-inspired City Edition uniforms for the first time this season during Saturday’s (Nov. 15) home game against the Denver Nuggets, debuting a matching on-court design and arena programming that paid tribute to the Minneapolis icon.
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The return of the purple uniforms also marked the first time the team has paired the jerseys with a Purple Rain-inspired decal at center court inside Target Center.
The Wolves originally introduced the Prince-themed look during the 2018–19 NBA season in collaboration with the Prince Estate and Nike, a partnership that returned for the 2025–26 campaign. The updated uniforms feature a paisley pattern over the right shoulder in reference to Prince’s Purple Rain jacket, while the “MPLS” lettering on the shorts nods to the artist’s close ties to the Minneapolis sound and the Twin Cities community.
Inside the arena, fans were greeted with a full Prince-themed presentation. “When Doves Cry” played ahead of tip-off, arena lighting cues shifted to purple, and the Wolves incorporated additional visual tributes throughout the home-game experience. The team also rolled out a Purple Rain-inspired motif on the court, expanding the tribute beyond uniforms and into event production for the first time.
The organization previously announced that the Prince-inspired uniforms would appear seven times during the season, with Saturday’s matchup against Denver marking their first outing. Additional theme nights will follow throughout the regular season, including a December home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Over his career, Prince earned five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and “Cream.” His landmark 1984 album Purple Rain spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while 19 of his albums have reached the top 10. Following his passing in 2016, Prince became the first artist to simultaneously occupy the entire top 10 of the Billboard Digital Songs chart.
