The LEGO Basketball subtheme of Sports that ran from 2003 to 2005. In the first year, 2003, sets were licensed by the NBA and were based on real games, court games, and simple street games. The minifigures in this theme had spring-loaded legs and specially designed hands so players can shoot, pass and even reverse slam dunk. These minifigures also featured more realistic skin tones, being based on real-life NBA players from real teams.
2004 LEGO Sets
2004 was a pivotal recovery year following financial losses in 2003. LEGO updated its color palette, introducing light nougat for licensed minifigures and brighter grays and browns. The company partnered with Ferrari under LEGO Racers and launched Knights’ Kingdom II, a story-driven reimagining of Castle. QUATRO expanded the preschool range, while World City, Orient Expedition, Spider-Man, and Gravity Games concluded. These shifts, along with strategic licensing, began LEGO’s long-term turnaround.