Seattle Sounders FC unveils new Bruce Lee kit

Seattle Sounders FC announced Wednesday its new secondary kit for the 2023-2024 Major League Soccer season – The Bruce Lee kit. 

The club's newest kit is part of the MLS and Adidas’ "Community Kit" line and was designed to celebrate the life and legacy of the martial arts legend who spent time in his formative years in Seattle. 

"We are absolutely thrilled to finally unveil The Bruce Lee Kit to Seattle and the world," said Sounders FC Majority Owner Adrian Hanauer. "This uniform is a completely unique look for the club and one that we are proud to put on the pitch, promoting the inspiring life and teachings of Bruce Lee. It was an honor for the club to work hand-in-hand with Shannon Lee, the Bruce Lee Family Company and the Bruce Lee Foundation to develop such a beautiful and distinctive tribute to their beloved family member, and Sounders FC is looking forward to furthering deliberate work in the community to bring Bruce’s story and teachings to life."

The Bruce Lee kit was developed through collaboration with Shannon Lee and the Bruce Lee Family Company. 

"I am so honored that the Sounders wanted to create this kit around my father’s legacy and that it’s not just a kit but a whole collaboration that incudes community impact and true legacy," said Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee and CEO of The Bruce Lee Family Company. "My father has a deep and dear history with Seattle as a place of learning, teaching, friendship, growth, inspiration, love and ultimately rest. And so, it feels fortuitous to come together with the Sounders to represent him not only as the Dragon he was, but also reflect him more deeply within the community that helped to shape him so fundamentally. What an amazing tribute!"

Seattle Sounders FC today revealed its new secondary kit for the 2023-2024 Major League Soccer seasons, a dynamic new look designed to celebrate the life and legacy of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. (Seattle Sounders FC)

The kit joins the club's inaugural Community Kit – the Jimi Hendrix kit. 

The jersey is the first MLS-era Sounders uniform to showcase the color red, made brighter and more immediately striking by the sunbeam yellow accents – a color Lee embraced as representing the center of everything, associated with nature, balance and heroism. Wrapping across the jersey chest is a hand-drawn dragon, symbolizing strength, power and the unrelenting and forward-thinking spirits of Bruce Lee and Sounders FC, the club said in a release.

The tag in the bottom left corner of the front side of the jersey features Lee's official signature.

2023 also marks 50 years since the release of Lee's final film, "Enter the Dragon."

Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, Lee moved to Seattle in 1959, where he finished high school and attended the University of Washington – meeting his wife, Linda, and opening his first martial arts school, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, which is still operational in Seattle today.

He is considered by many to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, Lee lived his life boldly and by his principles of harmony, inclusion, self-expression and action.

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He died in 1973 at the age of 32 and was buried in Seattle. 

The organization also announced proceeds up to $50,000 from the first 30 days of jersey sales will go to collaborative programming with the Bruce Lee Foundation and Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.

"As Wing Luke Museum celebrates its 55th year, we are inspired by the teachings and inspiration of our Hometown Hero, Bruce Lee," said Wing Luke Museum Executive Director Joël B. Tan. "The courageous and creative spirit of Bruce Lee lives within all of us, and we acknowledge his living legacy and contributions to our Seattle communities with glowing pride. We invite our local to global 'ohana to support Purpose Beyond the Pitch to empower and educate our next generation of hometown heroes."

The Bruce Lee Kit is now available for purchase at Sounders FC Pro Shop locations and at MLSstore.com.