Ranking the Best Jersey Designs in Sacramento Kings History

If there's one thing that can definitively be said about the Sacramento Kings, it's that the franchise has employed some interesting looks on its jerseys over the years.

From the old-school red, white and royal blue, to the purple and white, and all the way to present times, there have always been varying and unique designs. But which one is best? That's the question we're setting out to answer. 

With something like ranking jerseys, there's obviously a lot of subjectivity involved. What catches my eye might differ from what catches yours. Therefore, I've tried to come up with some criteria to narrow it down and make it as objective as possible. 

First, only jerseys worn in the Sacramento era are considered. Even then, that leaves us with a ton of options as the Kings have had numerous variances since moving west. 

Second, the team's on-court play while wearing the jersey isn't considered. So even though my best memories as a Kings fan come from the early-to-mid 2000s, that doesn't necessarily mean those will be my jerseys of choice. 

Finally, the threads must have been worn for an extended period of time. That doesn't mean they needed to be around for multiple years. But any design only worn once or twice, on special occasions, won't be considered.

With that, let's get to the rankings. And due to the somewhat subjective nature of these rankings, let me know which designs you like best. 

7. Modern Purple Jersey with Checkers

This is one of the recent looks for the Kings, and it's my least favorite of all the designs ranked. 

For one, I've never really enjoyed the purple look Sacramento has adopted. I'm not a big fan of the color, in general, and I don't think it fits well with sports teams.

And think about it, there aren't many franchises that employ the purple look. There's the LA Lakers, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Vikings, Phoenix Suns and Baltimore Ravens, just to name a few.

Besides the purple, I'm not a fan of the black stripe or checkered look. If you're going to use different colors, put them on the trim. Don't just arbitrarily have a stripe running down. And what's with the checkered part running down the sides? 

Maybe I'm just an old fashioned. I don't know. But I really don't like this contemporary look.

6. Early 2000s Black and White Jersey

When I was a kid, I really liked this look. But I think part of that is because the jersey coincided with a rise in the franchise's fortunes. In fact, the last jersey I ever bought was a Jason Williams black and white jersey like the one pictured here. 

I like this one better than the most recent jerseys, mainly because I like its color scheme of black and white more than the purple and black look.

But overall, I don't really like the font on this one. It's simply too plain for my taste. And along those lines, this whole jersey is pretty tame. So while the color scheme is better than the purple look, there's really nothing there that catches my eye. 

5. Early-to-Mid 2000s Purple and White

Of the different versions of purple Kings jerseys, these are my favorite. 

For one, I like the fact that the jersey reads "Sacramento" instead of "Kings." On top of what it says on the jersey, I'm also partial to the font and the way it looks. With more letters, the writing takes up more space, which I find aesthetically pleasing.

Some people may not like how the numbers on these threads are off-centered. For me, that's another feature I enjoy. Maybe my tastes are a bit quirky, but I like that look.

Finally, although it's technically not part of the jersey, I like the shorts better on these unis. The black and white trim goes well with the purple. Plus, as per my opinion, less purple is always better when it comes to designs. 

4. Late '90s White with Purple Trim

This version of Kings jersey is better than it's purple counterpart...mainly because it features less purple. As a trim color, which it is in this case, the purple works much better. It's more reserved and less glaring on the eyes.

The shorts in this version are also pretty cool. The way the outlines are designed is similar to the purple and black shorts featured in the previous slide. However, the presence of the Kings logo on the side of the shorts works well with this uniform.

Finally, the lettering on this one is pretty solid. It's a similar font to the one featured in the previous slide; however, it does say "Kings," not "Sacramento." Still, it works better than some of the other fonts the team has employed over the years.  

3. Modern Black and White

This modern version of the black and white jersey is much better than the one used back in the early 2000s. In a lot of respects, it incorporates different aspects from some of my favorite Kings jerseys.

I like the utilization of the cursive font on front. Seeing that brings me back to my childhood and the days of the blue unis with similar writing. It's also much better than the font used on the earlier black and white jerseys.

Compared to the predominantly purple jerseys, I'm also partial to the black and white color scheme. Only in this case, the lines and the trim look much better. It provides something that catches your eye without going over the top in designs.

And while the outline of the trim is similar to the contemporary checkered jerseys, the black and white lines are better than the checkered pattern. 

2. Old-School Red, White and Baby Blue

This old-school baby blue, red and white uni is a close second in my list of best Kings jerseys. 

I like the prominence of the red trim in this jersey. It's less subtle than some of the other Sacramento versions featuring the red, white and blue. 

Furthermore, the cursive writing brings something to the table that the modern blockier font is lacking. That font is part of what got the previous jersey ranked so highly on my list. For me, it's a staple of the Kings, even if it's something the team got away from for years.

What makes this font better than the contemporary cursive is the crown as the dot on the "I" in Kings. I know there's still a crown on the modern variation, but this one stands out much more because of the red trim. Some may find that to be cheesy—I think it's cool. 

The only drawback to this uni is the baby blue. I'm not a huge fan of the color. Then again, this jersey was worn a long time ago, so the utilization of different colors is just a product of the times. Even then, compared to purple, the baby blue is a clear winner. 

1. Red, White and Royal Blue with Cursive Writing

The royal blue with white writing is my favorite of all the Kings jerseys. I like this color scheme better than the others, preferring the darker blue to the baby blue. Yet it still has the red and white, which I like much better than any colors currently worn. And, after all, it is royal blue and they are the Sacramento Kings—it just makes sense.

This font is also my preference over the writing on some of Sacramento's more contemporary looks. Granted, I wish it had the crown on the "I," but it's better than the blockier writing used on some of the modern fonts. 

But probably my favorite thing about this uniform, other than the royal blue, is the old-school logo on the shorts. The white uni, that came in at No. 4 on the list, also had the logo on the shorts. But this is my favorite of all the Kings logos. I know it doesn't look modern, but I like its color scheme, and I like the basketball with the crown on top. 

It could be my preference for the past, as I was a history major in college, but these threads are my favorite ever worn by the Sacramento Kings. 

Follow me on Twitter: @SimRisso