NBA USA 250 patch, explained: Why Spurs, Knicks are wearing special decal during NBA Finals

July 4 marks the 250-year anniversary of the United States of America. In 1776, the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and 250 years later, the NBA will remember this through a commemorative patch. 

However, this is more than just a memento on a jersey, it will be used by Topps. The trading card company will put these patches into rare trading cards that fans can try to obtain through opening packs of cards. 

This an effort to build on Topps' brand of connecting cards to specific moments in time, with these patches being a signature identifier of the 2026 NBA Finals.

Here's everything to know about these USA 250 patches. 

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USA 250 patch

The USA 250 patch is a custom patch worn on the front of players' jerseys to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary on July 4th. 

“The 250th birthday of the United States offers the NBA Family a wonderful opportunity for reflection and civic engagement, and we’re proud to help bring communities together through hands-on service,” said Barbara Bush, NBA Senior Vice President of Social Impact and Inclusion, in a press release. “The NBA family has long believed in the unifying power of basketball and the importance of taking collective action to strengthen our communities.”

Topps plans to remove select patches from players to be featured in player cards specific to their performance. For example, if Victor Wembanyama breaks his own playoff blocks record, his patch from that performance may be featured in a custom card of his. 

BREAKING: Every player in the 2026 NBA Finals will wear a USA 250 patch on their jersey. The patches will be removed after each game, with select game-worn patches later featured inside ultra-rare trading cards 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xLwC4YAhe6

In the meantime, fans can watch and enjoy the games as they happen live. But before they know it, the patch worn by a player on the court could be in anyone's hands.

MORE: Who will be announcing the NBA finals on ABC?

NBA Finals jersey patches

This USA 250 patch is not a novel concept for NBA fans, as the league has commonly introduced different patch designs throughout its history. 

In 1997, the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary and wore a custom patch for this milestone season. 

In addition to this, the NBA Finals are used to seeing their own custom logo to recognize the jerseys as coming from this momentous matchup. At one point, this was the Larry O'Brien Trophy patch, but today, this is the "Ball Shift" logo patch. This way, the losing team is not wearing the winning trophy on their jerseys.