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By Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

We here at Basketball, She Wrote: A blog about the basketball played by the Indiana Pacers would like to outfit you with gear representing the spirit of the basketball that will be written about by me as the author, editor, and publisher of Basketball, She Wrote: A blog about the basketball played by the Indiana Pacers.

In order to do that, each shirt is designed with the team and memories about the team in mind, as well as elements of my journey in writing about said team. Behold, the selection – which is available for purchase through the Basketball, She Wrote shop at Teepublic. .

JUMP PASSES ARE GOOD NOW. 

Last summer, I wrote an article at my former website about Tyrese Haliburton’s flights of fancy, searching for and hand-tracking the results of all 248 of his jump passes. The results of my findings were as follows: “From the practicality he gains with height and angles to the way in which his leaping serves as a device to force defenders to commit to him rather than committing himself to a pass, Tyrese Haliburton's penchant for leaving his feet isn't an excessive quirk; it's a competitive advantage.”

Turns out, the way he dissects defenses from the air doesn’t just look really cool. It’s also highly effective and a skill which reflects the way he thinks the game, leaving his feet because he has an idea – not because he ran out of ideas.

In case this is relevant to anyone, there also happens to be video evidence of Haliburton saying he “loves that article to death” from one of his guest appearances on JJ Redick’s The Old Man & The Three podcast. Just saying.

So, basically, this is your chance to look cool and really smart, referencing the aerial exploits of Indiana’s All-Star point guard.

Lifelong Fan of Indiana Basketball

The inspiration for this shirt is three-fold:

1. The script lettering is intended to pay homage to the 1970 ABA-era jerseys that saw the Pacers win three championships (1970, 1972, 1973). For anyone who recognizes the look of those throwbacks and wants to rep them with a modern twist, you’re a real one.
2. Speaking of “real one” … if you’ve followed me for a minute on Twitter, you might recall that when the Pacers missed the playoffs two seasons ago, I started a bit where I would write “As a lifelong fan of X team” on tweets breaking down what other teams were doing during the postseason. Well, I apologize for ruining the magic for everyone, but I am not actually a lifelong fan of all 30 teams. In fact, my goal as an analyst is always to be as objective as possible. Truth be told, I’ve found it difficult to be a “fan” the longer I’ve done whatever you call what I do. But! I am a lifelong fan of basketball, and I hope you are too.
3. Lastly, Indiana is and has always been my home. This is where I grew up as a coach’s kid. This is where I learned the game. And this is where the team that I write about plays. If you are also from this state or identify as a fan of the team that plays in this state, this is the shirt for you!

Basketball, She Wrote 

Finally, although this particular design may seem self-explanatory, there is actually more to it than meets the eye. Many moons ago, when I first started writing at my former website, I requested that my first name be abbreviated on my byline.

Out of my own paranoia, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be taken seriously writing about the machinations of actual basketball if I was known to be a woman. I never had a big reveal. Eventually, when I got brave enough, I changed my profile picture on Twitter to that of a typewriter with the words “Basketball, She Wrote” appearing on a sheet of paper.

For the most part, everyone was nothing but great to me, but there was definitely some surprise. As such, this shirt isn’t just about supporting this new venture of mine and my new logo. Now, for everyone who got to know me as a writer first and a woman second, it represents the way in which I’m fully embracing that you know and, hopefully, like me as both.