Ranking the NBA 2019–2020 City Edition Uniforms
Over the past week, every NBA team has released their new “City Edition” jerseys for this year. Here are the highlights– and the lowlights– of the new uniforms.
29. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks should have just followed the same route as the Grizzlies: not releasing city jerseys this year. Everything about this uniform is a mess. It has neon green stripes, a light to dark blue gradient, and big graffiti letters. The designer put in extra hours at the office to make sure nothing made sense.
28. San Antonio Spurs
For the third year in a row, the Spurs are wearing this dark gray camo uniform. I understand that San Antonio is Military City USA, but they could at least get a new jersey design. If the Spurs chose to wear a fiesta-themed jersey like their fans wanted, they could easily have one of the best designs in the league. Good thing the Spurs chose camo because this season, they’ve disappeared on the court.
27. Boston Celtics
The Celtics don’t have that many different jersey colorways over the years; the team usually sticks to a green and white design. They should have kept it that way. The font choice for this uniform was poor, and the yellow and green just don’t mix well.
26. Sacramento Kings
The Kings are also doing a redesign of their city jersey from last year, and it is also not as good. Why is it so red? They’re trying to do a throwback but the Kings have never had a jersey that red.
25. Detroit Pistons
These Pistons jerseys make it seem like they’re going to pick up Messi in free agency. Seriously, why does this design look like a soccer uniform? The jersey has the same “Motor City” tagline on the front, which is fine, but the color of the jersey is just a no. The racing stripes don’t make it any better either.
24. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets city jerseys this year are just boring. The uniforms are silver-gray with a honeycomb pattern on the sides and light blue stripes. Since these jerseys are Jordan-sponsored, you’d think they would have at least a little flair. NBA fans probably won’t see much of this jersey though, because there’s no good reason to be watching the Hornets this year.
23. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are trying to do a redesign of last year’s city jersey, but it just isn’t as good. The color scheme comes from Chicago’s flag, which is a good choice, but the logo on the front should have been replaced with “Chicago” or “Bulls.” They could have also just done the same jerseys from last year but made it white instead of black. This is the first design on this list that didn’t need a lot of fixing to be good.
22. Milwaukee Bucks
I did not know that Milwaukee was nicknamed the “Cream City” and I never needed to know that. The design and font choice is fine but “Cream City” is not.
21. Los Angeles Lakers
These jerseys were designed by Shaq because why wouldn’t they be. The uniforms are in classic Laker purple & gold and has every number retired by the Lakers running down both sides. There’s nothing special about these jerseys, and it’s disappointing because the Lakers are one of the best in the league. They could have either brought back the black jersey designed by Kobe or replicated the Crenshaw jersey that LeBron wore in the offseason to pay tribute to Nipsey Hussle.
20. New York Knicks
The Knicks are reusing the same city design from last year and they’re just okay. The only notable feature of this jersey is that it features the New York skyline on both sides. The Knicks, like the Celtics, also don’t have a lot of different designs over the years, and it would have been great to see the team do something special this year.
19. Washington Wizards
The Wizards are representing the entire U.S. this year, with a stars and stripes design. The front of the uniform has the team’s alternate logo, which is a nice touch. The uniforms are nice, but they aren’t very special.
18. Orlando Magic
The Magic want to honor Orlando’s citrus-based background with these orange-colored jerseys. This is the Magic’s first time going orange, and it could’ve been done better if they just recolored their old jerseys. I can’t lie though. These uniforms do succeed in being very orange.
17. Golden State Warriors
These new Warriors jerseys are a recolor of their Statement uniforms from last year. They both use Oakland’s “The Town” nickname and feature the famous Oakland Tree on the front. These jerseys are a good way to pay respects to the city that housed the Warriors for 47 years before they moved to San Francisco. The designs from last year were better though; the black doesn’t fit well with the Warriors’ usual vibrant colors.
16. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are also using the same uniforms from last year, and it wasn’t a bad choice. The jerseys have a “Mardi Gras” pattern and have the city’s nickname on the front. They look good and honor the city. Zion will look good in these.
15. Utah Jazz
The Jazz are reusing their uniforms from last year as well. They feature stripes in warm colors running along the jersey and the city’s name on the front. They’re not bad, but the throwback uniforms the team is using this year are way better.
14. Phoenix Suns
The Suns are representing Phoenix’s Hispanic community with their City Edition Jerseys this year. The jersey draws its design from Mexican folk art and features the phrases “Los Suns” and “Somos PHX” on the front. The shorts also have a pretty great pattern, but the jerseys alone don’t have much. The jerseys are good but could use more flair.
13. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are using their City Edition Jerseys this year to honor the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. The uniform has a black and gold colorway and has the city’s name in large block text on the front. This design was a great choice by the Thunder and it is a great way to honor the community they play for.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
It was going to take a lot to top their uniforms from last year, but the Timberwolves did a good job. The jersey has a baby blue colorway and features “MSP” on the front, which is a reference to the Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport. The T-Wolves wanted to create a jersey that represented the “Twin Cities,” Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and they’re pleasant to look at.
11. Houston Rockets
The Rockets wanted to represent Houston’s connection to space travel this year, with NASA inspired jerseys. The uniforms feature the city’s nickname “H-Town” on the front and have a spacesuit design.
10. Indiana Pacers
The city of Indiana has a strong connection to auto racing, and it shows with this year’s City Edition Jerseys. The blue and gold colors represent the city’s flag and the checkered stripe is used to honor the city’s racing background.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs created a throwback design this year, and it commemorates the team’s past. It has a navy colorway, with multicolor stripes on the side. The front of the jersey has “Cle” in large letters which also uses the font from previous Cavs jerseys. These look great and would have looked good on LeBron.
8. Portland Trailblazers
This year the Trail Blazers are using a throwback design, and it was a great choice. It features the “Rip City” nickname on the front and has modern design accents that complement its retro coloring. This uniform was a great way to celebrate the history of the team and the city it represents.
7. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia’s City Jerseys are not only detailed but also have meaning. The uniforms feature “Philadelphia” on the front, and the color is inspired by the Constitution’s parchment paper. It also has a stripe running down the side, which is supposed to represent the crack in the liberty bell. This jersey is simple, yet so effective.
6. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers City Jerseys are the opposite of the Lakers’ design. While the Lakers have a gold and glamorous jersey design, the Clippers want to represent the streets and neighborhoods of LA. The text is meant to replicate Los Angeles tattoo art, and looks pretty cool. The Clippers are all business and these uniforms represent that.
5. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are sticking with the Biggie Smalls-inspired designs with their City Jerseys this year. These jerseys have stripes on the side that replicate Biggie’s famous Coogi sweater, and the front of the jersey features the term “Bed-Stuy” in graffiti letters. “Bed-Stuy” stands for Bedford-Stuyvesant, a famous neighborhood in Brooklyn and also the one where Biggie was raised. These jerseys could have been much better if they said “Nets” or “Brooklyn” on the front instead of “Bed-Stuy.”
4. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are representing the community of Atlanta with their “Peachtree” jerseys this year. Atlanta is a city with a large background in pop culture, and these uniforms were their way of honoring the city’s influence. The colors of this design and the “Peachtree” nickname make this one of the best City Jerseys this year.
3. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors never disappoint, and the same goes with their jerseys. These uniforms are in a beautiful gold and black colorway and feature “Toronto” in the same font as their old jerseys. This jersey combines the best parts of the old Raptors uniforms and the best parts of the new ones.
2. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets continue to amaze us, improving upon their jerseys from last year. These uniforms are a black version of last year’s City Jerseys, which were a redesign on the Nuggets’ old rainbow skyline jersey. This jersey is absolutely amazing and is a great mix of retro and modern.
1. Miami Heat
This is the Heat’s fourth version of the Miami Vice design, and it could be their best. This uniform represents its city and all of the 305, but it also has a vibrant design with distinct lettering. The Heat continue to reward fans with great jerseys every year.
The NBA had some pretty great jerseys this year, and most fans should be happy with their team’s design. Unless you’re a Mavericks fan. Sorry Mavericks fans.
