As far as NBA seasons go, the 2019–20 one might be the strangest of the last 20 years. We saw one of the most active free agencies in recent history promise fans the most thrilling season yet. Will King James bring a title back to the Lakers or will Kawhi turn around the snake bitten Clippers franchise? Can Harden and Westbrook make it work in Houston or will Giannis follow up his MVP with a championship ring? Unfortunately, because of the Coronavirus pandemic we may never get the answers to these questions. They are at the very least shelved for the time being by the NBA’s intermission.
One thing the NBA has been able to offer us are some pretty terrific uniform combinations. So while we all wait for play to resume let’s take a look at each team’s best uniform from this past season.
№30 — Washington Wizards’ Association Uniforms
This may come as an unpopular opinion but I have never been a fan of any uniform Washington has tried to put together. At least these are better than their two toned 2008 alternates.
№29 Indiana Pacers’ City Edition Uniforms
This was a tough one. The Pacers have some of the ugliest home and away uniforms so I decided to go with their City Edition uniforms which aren’t much better.
№28 Dallas Mavericks’ Statement Uniforms
Such a shame because their 2018–19 City Editions were absolutely beautiful. Maybe Dallas we do a slow rebranding as Luka becomes one of the future faces of the NBA.
№27 Sacramento Kings’ Association Uniforms
Sacramento is known for wasting talent and wasting unique color combos.
№26 Phoenix Suns’ Association Uniforms
Perhaps what is holding the Suns back the most is abandoning those beautiful 90’s NBA Finals uniforms. These are pretty solid but compared to the Barkley era suns they’ll never compare.
№25 Orlando Magic’s Association Uniforms
Orlando suffers from a familiar ‘will never be as good as what they had in the 90s. I’m still a fan of the pinstripes but it doesn’t hit the same as Shaq’s Magic.
№24 Los Angeles Clippers’ Classic Uniforms
The Clippers got a lot of praise for bringing back the Braves unis this season. Although the LA team is in desperate need of a rebrand, and should use these as inspiration, the “Braves” on the front is too much as its right next to the team logo.
№23 Detroit Pistons’ Statement Uniforms
The resurrection of Derrick Rose was enough to make Detroit pull off these uniforms. It’s not often that a light grey looks this good.
№22 San Antonio Spurs’ Icon Uniforms
A timeless classic, these are as ‘Spurs’ as it gets. Nothing flashy but it gets the job done.
№21 Toronto Raptors’ Icon Uniforms
It’s hard to hate on the World Champs. Drake’s rebrand did wonders to Canada’s sole team.
№20 Milwaukee Bucks’ Icon Uniforms
This season’s best team has a few solid uniforms each with their own flaws. If only they figured out a way to take the best of each and combine them into one.
№19 Boston Celtics’ Statement Uniforms
Maybe I’m getting tired of the classic green and white but these are certainly a breath of fresh air.
№18 Oklahoma City Thunder’s Statement Uniforms
These are bright and attention getting just like the 2019–20 Thunder.
№17 Chicago Bulls’ Statement Uniforms
Like the Celtics, the Bulls’ Black Unis are a nice change of pace to their age old staples.
№16 Philadelphia 76ers’ Classic Uniforms
These classic uniforms are clean and pull off the cursive font beautifully.
№15 Atlanta Hawks’ City Edition Uniforms
The Hawk’s primary uniforms are just a few tweaks away from being great (ditch the neon) but their City Editions are already there.
№14 Los Angeles Lakers’ Statement Uniforms
The best in the West is only middle of the pack here. The team’s purple uniforms are a step down from last year’s pinstripe version but these are reminiscent of the early Kobe days, which were some of the team’s best unis.
№13 Minnesota Timberwolves’ Association Uniforms
The T-Wolves may never be able to recapture the success of the Garnett era but these unis will help heal that wound.
№12 Portland Trail Blazers’ Classic Uniforms
Although it’s been a rocky season for the Blazers these uniforms were clean enough to get us through it.
№11 Cleveland Cavaliers’ City Edition Uniforms
The future is bleak for Cleveland but these uniforms may offer some sort of comfort.
№10 Golden State Warriors’ Classic Uniforms
To make Oakland residents feel even worse the Warriors brought back these beauties from their old days.
№9 New York Knicks’ City Edition Uniforms
I’m a huge fan of the Knicks’ traditional royal blue which makes this such a tough call but those striped collars give the edge to the City Editions.
№8 Miami Heat’s City Edition Uniforms
The Miami Vice kick the Heat have been on the last few years is magnificent but these lose points just because the black version was godly.
№7 New Orleans Pelicans’ City Edition Uniforms
Incorporating Mardi Gras colors was one of the best ideas this team has ever had (right behind drafting CP3, AD and Zion). Let’s just hope the Pelicans can make the switch permanent as well as build a winning team around Zion
№6 Brooklyn Nets’ City Edition Uniforms
These Biggie inspired uniforms are beautiful. I think they had them mastered in the 2018–19 season and the transition to graffiti font ‘Bed-Stuy’ is just going to take some getting used to. I would love it if these became their staples.
№5 Denver Nuggets’ City Edition Uniforms
The rainbow stripes pop against the all black uniforms as we see the Rockies peak from behind the Denver skyline. After suffering through the Melo era uniforms Nuggets fans deserve these.
№4 Houston Rockets’ Classic Uniforms
I will never forgive the Rockets for abandoning these beauties. At least we got to see Hakeem win two rings in these…25 years ago.
№3 Utah Jazz’s Classic Uniforms
The font. The colorway. The graphic. All superb, I just wish the ‘Jazz’ made sense for a team in Utah.
№2 Charlotte Hornets’ Classic Uniforms
If this colorway looks familiar that’s because it is. Charlotte revolutionized what was considered acceptable colors for a professional sports team. Following the Hornets debut we saw teams all over the league make the switch to teal. Unfortunately, the 2019–20 Hornets only wore these purple throwbacks but they’re just as pretty as their teal ones.
№1 Memphis Grizzlies’ Classic Uniforms
On one wonderful night this season NBA fans got to see these glorious (Hornets inspired) teal Grizzlies uniforms face off against the fantastic (Hornets inspired) purple Jazz uniforms. As much credit as I am giving Charlotte in this least they were simply beaten at their own game by the Grizzlies. It’s a shame these uniforms were so short lived. One can only hope the team will swap out ‘Vancouver’ for ‘Memphis’ and rock these year round.
