BLACK IS BACK Fans favor black and gold colors

They can't always explain why they like it. They just do.

"I don't know what it is,” said Kasey Moody, a 23-year-old Duncan resident. "It just looks good.”

Like many, graphic artist Kasey Moody envisions Oklahoma City's NBA team to sport a black and gold color scheme. Moody already has Sonics Rookie of the Year winner Kevin Durant, pictured above, wearing a uniform Moody designed. Associated press photo; illustration by Kasey Moody

It is the color scheme that's gaining steam for the uniforms of Oklahoma City's prospective NBA franchise — black and gold.

With The Oklahoman's NBA Team Name Contest now whittled down to the Final Four nicknames — Thunderbirds, Barons, Outlaws and Thunder — opinions still vary on what the team should be called. But some, like Moody, are among a growing segment who thinks black and gold could work as the team colors no matter the nickname or mascot.

"It's just different,” said Moody, who designed the black and gold "Oklahoma City Barons” jerseys that appeared on the cover of The Oklahoman's sports section on April 14 as one of hundreds of reader-designed jersey submissions.

But unlike the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose team colors are athletic gold and black, the color scheme used for the popular Barons design is varsity gold and black, closer to the shade found in Notre Dame and George Washington's school colors.

The Washington Wizards in 2006 unveiled an alternate set of road jerseys with a similar scheme, with gold as the primary color for the jerseys and black being the dominant color on the shorts. It's unclear how the NBA regulates the selection of team colors that would be similar to other franchises in the league. An NBA spokesman couldn't confirm the league's policy Monday.

But perhaps the best thing about black and gold in Oklahoma is that it isn't crimson and cream or orange and black.

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