Purists and ballers alike may be aghast at the news that sleeves are coming to more NBA jerseys this upcoming season, but be prepared for them to stay. For good. It’s all about the Benjamins, people.

The Golden State Warriors were the first to break ground late last season when they introduced stretchy sleeved jerseys made by Adidas for their last three home games. Now, as many as 20 NBA teams will have sleeved versions among their alternate uniform options next season. Some teams will unveil them on the Christmas day games.

When it comes to selling sports jerseys, the NFL outpaces all American sports leagues by a long mile. When was the last time you saw an NFL jersey with no sleeves? Yeah, on some dude in the ’70s.

Who else has sleeves? Major League Baseball? Check. Major League Soccer? Check. The NHL? Check.

The NBA is totally alone in its sleeveless world, but that world is about to come to an end.

Sleeved jerseys – join the club

If you hadn’t noticed, sports jerseys are sold to regular people. Millions more regular people than professional athletes wear sports jerseys. And, if you’ve ever seen an episode of “Cops,” regular people don’t look so great in tank tops. If you’re out of shape and have string beans for arms, the sleeved look is a lot more flattering.

That’s right. With these new short-sleeved unis, the NBA will be making bank and helping the fashion-challenged, one sports fan at a time.

So to those brave NBA teams—yes, we’re looking at you, Los Angeles Lakers—who suit up in moisture-wicking, short-sleeved jerseys next season… we salute you and your sartorial splendor. And we’ll be waiting for a coupon code to buy one.

[pullquote]We’re an entertainment industry. So, you know, you got to make products that people can wear.  — Steve Nash, L.A. Lakers point guard[/pullquote]

Sleeves are Coming to the NBA, People

It’s Back-to-School time… which means clothes shopping… which means trips to crowded malls and big box stores… which means combing through clearance racks and piles of clothes. More and more, we’re deciding to stay at home and make those same purchases online as traditional retailers like Old Navy and Target and most recently H&M have made buying from their brick & mortar and online stores interchangeable, meaning a seamless shopping experience and less hassles with returns.

At Ben’s Bargains, we’ve found that some of the best deals online are apparel deals, due to the high markup involved in that industry. The single main drawback to purchasing clothes and shoes online — buying without trying on — is offset by increasingly common free shipping deals, simplified returns at brick & mortar locations or sometimes free return shipping (especially with online-only shoe stores) and, most importantly, the ability to quickly scan if your size is available or not. What a relief!

Here are 10 recent deals we’ve seen around Ben’s Bargains that will make your Back-to-School online clothes shopping a fun and money-saving experience:

1) Pick up cheap shoes from 6pm.com, the Zappos outlet, where standard shipping is always free. You can find casual sneaks like the Reebok Lifestyle Club C Men’s Shoes for $37 shipped (over $50 on Amazon) or dressier shoes like the Bass Amherst Men’s Dress Shoes for $29 shipped ($69 on Amazon). No free return shipping, but prices are low.

2) If you’re looking for some fun clothes, hipster T-shirt site Threadless is offering their wide selection of artist-created graphic T-shirts (at right) for $10 each + shipping (around $5) through August 16th. These shirts are usually $20 + shipping.

3) Nike Store is taking an extra 20% off clearance apparel and shoes through August 20th. Nike Store only runs this deal occasionally, and the clearance prices are often the best that you can find. Shipping runs about $8 but you can return any Nike.com order to any one of their official retail stores or outlets.

4) Get ready for winter with 40% to 50% off Past-Season Clothing from Patagonia. Shipping isn’t great (around $9 to $11), but it is free on orders over $75. These are good outlet prices. No free return shipping but you can return to Patagonia retail stores in 17 states.

5) Through August 15th, you can get an additional 50% off sale items through Gap.com. Shipping starts around $5, and there’s no free return shipping but you can make in-store returns at any of their ubiquitous retail stores.

6) If you’re not picky about your sunglasses, you can buy an 8-pack of “Name Brand” Men’s or Women’s Sunglasses from 13 Deals for just $15 shipped. No free return shipping, but then at this price it’s a small risk.

7) Columbia Sportswear (at left) is currently taking 25% off select men’s, women’s and kids’ clothes and shoes plus an extra 15% off with code. Columbia rarely offers codes through their online store, so now’s a good time to jump on their sale if you’re eyeing this brand. Shipping is a flat $6 and you can make returns directly to their retail store locations or outlets.

8) eBay Fashion Outlet is a great place to find deals from mainstream brands and retailers like Under Armour, Jockey, Fila and Hanes.  For example, Champion Cotton Jersey Men’s T-Shirts are $8 shipped through the Hanes storefront.

9) You can currently get an extra 30% off sitewide with coupon code at Reebok. Reebok CrossFit gear, items with $.98 price endings and custom shoes are excluded, but shipping is free on all orders. Beware, though, returns are not free or convenient.

10) If you like American Eagle Outfitters and want to avoid the crowds, the online store is offering an additional 60% off clearance plus free shipping on all orders for a limited time. There are some great finds here, plus you can return purchases to any of their store locations.

If you still prefer to shop in person, check out Raise.com, which offers up to 30% off hundreds of retail store gift cards. Shipping is free  on gift cards, plus you can currently get $5 off purchases $70 or more.

If you don’t see a favorite store or brand on the list above, you can create deal alerts (registration required) so you won’t miss them the next time they appear on Ben’s Bargains. If one of these deals is expired, you can also click the deal alert icon (the bell) on individual posts to receive an instant email alert.

You’re also welcome to send us tips or suggestions. Good luck!

10 Back-to-School Online Clothes Shopping Deals