Ranking Every New NBA City Edition Jersey
For this year's "City Edition" NBA jerseys, Nike and the 30 teams have gone all-in on the "mashup" concept, combining elements of different jersey designs from the respective franchises' histories.
By and large, the results here are good. Last year's City Edition jerseys played on themes and characteristics of the teams' cities and were often too obscure and specialized to be appreciated on a broader scale. With a few exceptions, these are quite good.
Of course, some are better than others, so we took the opportunity to rank all 28 of the brand-new jersey designs that the league unveiled on Monday.
(Two teams, the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns, are running back last year's design rather than releasing a new one, so they are not included here.)
28. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are in a tough spot here. If the idea is to combine elements from previous eras' jerseys, they don't have an extensive history unless they go back to the Seattle days. They were smart to avoid that—it would not go over well with many fans, given the Sonics' controversial exit from Seattle and the widespread sentiment that Oklahoma City "stole" the team.
With that said, they could have at least tried something interesting. Anything at all. This is basically an all-white version of the navy blue alternate jersey they wore for a few years during the Kevin Durant era, which was an attempt to create something that looked like a throwback to a previous generation in which the Thunder franchise did not exist.
27. Miami Heat
Coming off the best four-year run of alternate jerseys any franchise has ever had (the flawless "Vice City" jerseys), the Heat apparently looked at the Cavs' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-themed jerseys from last year that looked like a ransom note and said, "Let's do that."
Heat players will also have the opportunity to customize the font style of the number based on any of their previous uniforms, allowing each player to have a unique jersey. That's a cool idea, in theory, but it's going to be terrible and confusing in practice when they actually wear them during games.
The Heat's jerseys and logos are usually among the league's best, which makes this misfire all the more disappointing.
26. Orlando Magic
The Magic deserve props for bringing back their original star-and-pinstripes jersey design from the Shaq and Penny days, one of the most iconic NBA jerseys of the 1990s. However, they keep trying to make the orange thing happen, and it just doesn't work.
The introduction of the color is an homage to the fruit the state of Florida is renowned for producing, but that's not something that resonates anywhere else and the color clashes with the Magic's regular color scheme.
25. Houston Rockets
Bringing back a version of arguably the most polarizing jersey in NBA history was a risky move for the Rockets. The Charles Barkley/Scottie Pippen-era pinstriped jerseys epitomized the late-'90s trend of cartoons, and though they were widely hated at the time, they've acquired a certain retro nostalgia appeal in the years since.
The problem with this reboot is that it doesn't lean into that enough. Either bring back the actual cartoon rocket or don't do it at all. Just changing the color scheme and the early-'90s jersey and putting pinstripes on it is a half measure.
24. New Orleans Pelicans
Now we get into the jerseys that aren't bad per se but aren't anything special.
The red, black and gold side piping is clean. These are better than the Pelicans' regular home jerseys, and it would be great if they were simply introduced as such. For what was supposed to be one of the league's big campaigns celebrating their rich history, though, it doesn't do much.
23. Boston Celtics
The Celtics have come up with a brilliant deflection for any criticism of their insistence on including gray in their alternate jerseys despite it never looking good. You see, the gray on these jerseys actually represents the smoke from one of Red Auerbach's cigars, so if you say you don't like it, you're hating on the man behind the Russell-Cousy-Havlicek dynasty.
That aside, the front lettering (a throwback to their original 1946 jerseys) would look a lot better if it was white with green shadows. The green-on-green makes it look like a practice jersey.
22. Charlotte Hornets
It's hard for any jersey with the Hornets' teal-and-purple color scheme to be bad, but these try to do too much at once.
The fade is reminiscent of the Jazz's recent City Editions, which are superb. Charlotte also employs a honeycomb pattern on the top that looks like the jerseys the Hawks used for a few years in the late 2010s.
Either of these concepts would be great if they fully committed to them. Either stick with the fade or do the honeycomb all over. These are just too busy.
21. Sacramento Kings
The Kings kept it basic with the purple-and-black color scheme while keeping the "Sactown" nickname from last year's City Edition jerseys.
These aren't bad, but they're not among the most memorable. It's not going to make anyone rush out to buy one.
20. Washington Wizards
Anything that uses the Bullets jersey design is going to work. The only flaw here is that the number font looks too much like the Gilbert Arenas-era jerseys that are totally incongruous with the rest of the franchise's history.
Those jerseys, a late-'90s relic that people either loved or hated, should either get their own revival or be left out entirely.
19. Los Angeles Clippers
It says a lot about how bad the Clippers' current jerseys are that a throwback to the cursive of the 1990s and 2000s, when they were the biggest joke in the NBA, is seen as a welcome change of pace.
The baby blue from the San Diego days is a nice reintroduction and works way better than the mishmash of dark blue, red and black that makes up their current color scheme. The Clippers would do well to tap into this more going forward.
18. New York Knicks
These are better than last year's awful "City Never Sleeps" jerseys that stuck to the words-in-a-circle-around-the-number template that's become too common in the past five years. But a Knicks jersey that almost entirely de-emphasizes the blue color doesn't sit right.
The checkered side panels are a nice touch, though.
17. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons still need a complete redesign of their main look, but the primary font on this uniform is cleaner than their regular jerseys. The lightning bolts on the side are a nice homage to the pre-Bad Boys era, but the colors don't work.
Shoehorning the Grant Hill-era teal into the old-school red-and-blue color scheme doesn't mix well. That color needs to either be the entire focus of the design (which isn't a terrible idea, contrary to what some think) or omitted entirely.
16. Golden State Warriors
It's pretty similar to the Warriors' regular jersey design, with a few tweaks and subtle touches nodding to different parts of their history. There isn't much to criticize here, but it's not enough of a departure to be notable or worth writing home about.
They played it safe, and it does the job.
15. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks didn't reinvent the wheel here. They just combined different fonts, colors and logos from previous eras in a way that's not overbearing or busy.
One subtle observation: They left red from the color combination, even though that was a primary color for much of their history. It would have been out of place here—sticking with the greens, blues and purples work better.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland has been one of the most hit-or-miss franchises over the decades for jerseys, but they nailed this one.
Their best uniform designs came before LeBron James got there in 2003, and they wisely stuck to those for inspiration here. The original logo from the team's inception in 1970 is great and should be used more, so it's nice to see it prominently featured on the front of the jersey.
This more than makes up for last year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inspired debacle.
13. Toronto Raptors
People either love or hate the "purple dinosaur" jerseys from the Raptors' inception in the mid-1990s. Along with the Rockets (see above), they've become the poster boy of the 1990s cartoon era, although having Vince Carter play in those jerseys gives them a little more cache.
This effort basically refreshes that design in the Drake/OVO-inspired black-and-gold color scheme that's produced some great jerseys for the Raptors over the years.
These aren't for everyone, but they understand the assignment exactly.
12. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have had very few misses on jerseys in their relatively short history.
These aren't as good as last year's Stax Records homage, but they're still pretty strong, with subtle nods to the Vancouver days as well as the Grit-n-Grind era.
11. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have a pretty high floor when it comes to drawing from their past because they've pretty much never had a bad jersey.
The font for the number here is from the classic late-'90s jerseys, which is an era they don't draw from enough.
If there's one criticism, it's that they should have gone deeper on that era and made the "Rip City" wording upper-case in that font rather than keeping it lower-case as they have for years. But you can't really go wrong when your overall design and color scheme are as classic as Portland's.
10. Los Angeles Lakers
There isn't much to criticize here—the Lakers are combining the Showtime-era lettering and drop-shadow number with elements of the baby blue jerseys they wore in Minneapolis. The stars on either side of the number are also a Minneapolis Lakers throwback.
It looks clean, classic and much better than some of the other City Edition jerseys they've attempted in recent years.
9. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are finally utilizing their "Fiesta" colors for the second season in a row after doing nothing with them for years.
These aren't quite as good as last year's, but integrating that color scheme into their regular jersey design is a good approach.
They'd be even better if they went all the way and changed the color on the front lettering to orange or green.
8. Atlanta Hawks
The hawk with its wings spread across the front of the jersey was one of the better products of the '90s cartoon boom, so it's cool that they're bringing it back here. The lettering and numbers are combining elements of a few different eras, and the yellow is repurposed from an otherwise unremarkable mid-2000s alternate jersey.
The Hawks somehow managed to create something great out of many disparate elements of their past without even touching their single most iconic look—the Dominique Wilkins-era "Pac-Man" jerseys.
7. Indiana Pacers
Anything the Pacers do that nods to their late-'80s and early-'90s looks is usually great, and these are no exception.
They essentially put the side piping from their '90s home jerseys onto the front of the jersey and combined it with the lettering from their '80s look. It's hard to go wrong.
6. Brooklyn Nets
Since moving to Brooklyn in 2012, the Nets have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from their New Jersey roots. Yet, their best alternate jerseys have been the ones that embrace that history.
Last year's tie-dye throwbacks were outstanding, and so are these, which combine elements of their late-'70s and mid-'90s looks.
The Nets' Brooklyn-themed jerseys in recent years have been hit-or-miss: The Notorious B.I.G. tribute was great—the Basquiat one not so much. Their New Jersey Nets ones have rarely missed.
5. Denver Nuggets
Going back to the rainbow well is always a winning strategy for the Nuggets.
This time, it's a little more subtle, sticking that pattern into the side paneling in a way that also nods to their mid-'70s jerseys. The font is taken from the late '70s design, and it's close enough to the rainbow-skyline era that it evokes those same good feelings without being a direct copy.
Just great all around.
4. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs have needed a total redesign for years, and they still do. When that day comes, hopefully they take after this City Edition jersey and bring back this lettering style from the 1980s and '90s.
Everything about this works, and you could totally see different variations in blue and green serving as full-time road jerseys in addition to this white one, which would work great at home permanently.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
These uniforms combine two elements of the Sixers' history that are great and underutilized: their font and logo from the late-'70s glory days and the rainbow color scheme of the classic Spectrum arena.
These are a drastic departure from their (already excellent) current regular uniforms, in the best way possible.
2. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are back—many people are saying it, and this jersey only furthers the argument.
The cursive font went away after Michael Jordan's rookie year, but that Mitchell and Ness jersey is still a classic. Updating the lettering from black to white is a subtle change that makes sense, and the shorts feature an homage to the beloved black-and-red pinstriped look from the mid-1990s.
A complete home run in every way.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
Combining their original expansion-era color scheme with their best-known logo font from the Kevin Garnett era is a flawless strategy. Even the nod to their more recent history, the wolf hairs up the sides of the jersey from their 2017-18 City Edition jerseys, works much better here than it did on those forgettable uniforms.
The return of the trees on the collar and sleeves is welcome, too.
These are perfect.
