LeBron James injury update
Oct 10, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Paul Zipser (16) during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze

Nike officials are concerned about several NBA jerseys being split down the middle since the start of the preseason. During Wednesday's opening night fixture between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, LeBron James, Nike's highest-paid active player, suffered a wardrobe malfunction.

The incident occurred when Celtics sophomore Jaylen Brown grabbed at James' jersey while defending the Cavaliers superstar. The jersey tore right down the middle, separating the Nos. 2 and 3 on the back of the Cavaliers uniform. On Wednesday, the NBA's Last 2 Minute report stated that James should have been fouled for the play.

The new NBA jerseys were being worn for the first time in a regular season game. During the offseason, Nike outbid rivals Adidas to win the rights to become the NBA's official jersey supplier. Nike and the NBA agreed to an eight-year deal worth approximately US$1 billion (AU$1.27 billion).

During the NBA preseason, Los Angeles Lakers guard Tyler Ennis suffered a similar fate. However, his uniform was ripped horizontally as the 0 in his No. 10 jersey was left hanging.

Nike not responsible for fabric used in jerseys

According to an ESPN report, "Nike doesn't bear sole responsibility for the making of the jersey. While the company makes the materials and provides blank uniforms to the squads, it often is the team's responsibility to find a vendor to custom-stitch the names and numbers on the official jerseys."

The report added that Nike didn't use a new fabric to produce the jerseys. "It wasn't a completely new fabrication. The company used jerseys of a similar makeup for last year's Summer Olympics in Brazil and with some select college basketball teams during last season with no issues," a report published late Wednesday reads.

The 2017-18 NBA season continues Thursday (Friday in Australia) with matches featuring the Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks vs Oklahoma City Thunder.