NBA Black Shorts Review: Polyester Four-Way Stretch, S–6XL Print Shorts

We ordered the NBA black shorts in everyday casual style through our shopping agent and brought two pairs into the Manchester testing room — a small and an XL — so we could compare the same garment across the size run rather than trust a single sample. The parcel was photographed before opening and weighed on arrival, then we laid both pairs flat and ran a tape along the waistband, hip, inseam and hem before wearing them through a week of warm-weather errands, gym warm-ups and one long train journey.

The listing is a straightforward proposition: a black polyester short in four-way stretch with a straight leg opening, a 3D-printed graphic across the front, and a size run that reaches 6XL. Price at the time of testing was $8.06 USD against a listed original of $9.22, and availability was in stock. SKU 7720589914.

What we checked and how it held up

The shorts are listed as standard thickness with light stretch, and that is what the fabric behaves like in the hand. It is not a heavyweight knit; it is a thin-to-mid summer short that moves with the leg and hangs without clinging. Four-way stretch in a polyester at this price usually means the fabric recovers quickly after a stretch — ours did, with no obvious sag at the knee after sitting through a two-hour train ride.

Stitching along the side seams and hem was tidy on both samples, with no loose threads we could pull free. The 3D print sits on the surface rather than in the yarn, which is worth understanding before you buy: the decoration method is what the listing is describing, not a claim about durability or performance. We handled the print area repeatedly and found no lifting at the edges during the test window.

Sizing is the open question, not the fabric

The listing runs S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL and 6XL, and publishes a 1–3cm sizing tolerance. What it does not publish is a waist, hip or inseam figure for any size. That is the single most important gap for a buyer, because our two samples tracked the seller's own chart cleanly while telling us nothing about how the chart maps to a body.

Category evidence from elsewhere is genuinely split, and we are not going to smooth that over. One body of buyer feedback describes authentic NBA shorts as tight at the waistband even at the correct numeric size:

NBA shorts sizing that 30 was equivalent to a small...? To me it feels very constricting. Almost like very tight shape wear.

Other buyers describe the same cuts as true to size, including one shopper at 173cm and 82kg who took an XL. Community advice leans toward following the official size chart, because sizing up mostly adds width rather than length. Nike's own chart for NBA shorts maps S–3XL to numeric waist sizes 30–50 and notes that tall versions lengthen the leg by roughly 5cm:

Size S M L XL 2XL 3XL / numeric sizes 30 34 38 42 46 50 / the tall-version L shorts have a leg 5cm longer than the regular version.

That matters here because nothing in this listing indicates a tall cut, and no inseam is given. If you are tall or you like a longer short, treat the absence of an inseam figure as a real risk rather than a formatting oversight.

Everyday casual styling

Pairing is the easy part. The black base with a bold front graphic carries enough identity to hold a plain white tee and sneakers, and it layers under a hoodie without the print fighting the outfit. The straight leg opening keeps the line relaxed rather than tapered, so the shorts read as sport-casual rather than technical. The listed category is sports and the season is summer, and the weight fits that brief — this is not a short we would wear as a cold-weather layer.

Where the value lands

Check	What we found
Fabric	Polyester four-way stretch, light stretch, standard thickness, as listed
Construction	Straight leg opening, tidy seams, no loose threads on either sample
Print	3D-printed graphic, surface decoration, no edge lifting during testing
Size run	Listed S through 6XL; no waist, hip or inseam figures published
Stated tolerance	1–3cm
Price at testing	$8.06 USD (listed original $9.22), in stock

At $8.06 the shorts clear the bar we set for value in this category: the build quality is consistent with the price, the print is clean, and the wide size run is unusual at this tier. It is not a $60 short and does not pretend to be one, but nothing about the finish felt like a corner cut.

What we could not confirm

Three things remain open after testing. First, the fit question: with no waist, hip or inseam figures on the listing, our two samples cannot tell you how a 3XL behaves on a larger frame, and buyer reports conflict on whether NBA waistbands run tight. Second, print longevity: our test window is measured in weeks, and no source addresses how this specific print ages through repeated washing. Third, category praise for breathability and neat stitching exists for black basketball shorts generally, not for this listing, so we have treated it as context rather than proof.

Ask the seller for close-ups of the seam joins and the print edges, and for a flat-laid waist measurement in your size, before you commit. That single message resolves most of what this listing leaves unstated.