Nike and the NBA released the new NBA city edition uniforms yesterday much to the excitement of fans around the league.
The Detroit Pistons finally put out a uniform that fans like, so this was a banner day for the team, as they had struck out in the past with some of the worst city editions in the league.
The racing stripes are finally gone! Fans got a tiny bit of teal (still too much), the lightning bolts and the red they’ve been clamoring for since the league started doing alternate uniforms.
https://twitter.com/DetroitPistons/status/1455194192226004996
Of course, the teal truthers are still unhappy, but how happy can you be if teal is your favorite color?
I think this is probably the best Nike has done since taking over the NBA city edition uniforms, as there were only a few duds this time around.
You can see them all here.
I’ve ranked the NBA city edition uniforms in categories from the bland and awful, to the cool but could be better to the nice. Where do you think the Detroit Pistons’ new city edition uniforms rank?
Ranking the NBA city edition uniforms
The boring/awful group
There were only six NBA city edition uniforms that I thought were either boring or awful this time around, and even these weren’t that bad, so good job Nike and the NBA.
Houston Rockets: You’d think a city with as much flavor as Houston could come up with something better. I hate stripes, so these were my least favorite of the entire group. I’m already starting to really hate the Rockets because of Jalen Green and these boring uniforms didn’t help.
San Antonio Spurs: Wow these are boring AND awful, congrats San Antonio! These are a throwback to color schemes that should be forgotten and left in the 1980’s where they belong.
Dallas Mavericks: Awful colors, boring design and I hate the green around the armpit. These are not good.
Charlotte Hornets: I really hate that honeycomb pattern that seems to be on everything now. The Hornets probably had the biggest drop off here, as their Buzz City uniforms were nice, but these are just boring.
Boston Celtics: All of the Celtics’ city editions have been awful so far, so it is not a surprise that they were once again. I hate the Celtics, so just seeing their hideous green is enough to make me think of Larry Bird’s mustache and then I have to vomit. The Celtics never do anything interesting.
New Orleans Pelicans: This is the city of Mardi Gras? Way to take one of the most colorful, interesting cities in the United States and make it boring. Do the Pelicans even know what city they are in? Could we get some NOLA artists and designers involved here? These are tragically boring for a city that is the opposite, what a let down.
Ranking the NBA city edition uniforms
Interesting but not quite there…
There were eight uniforms that weren’t awful but didn’t quite hit home runs either. I didn’t hate any of these but all have a fatal flaw.
Miami Heat: Miami has had some of the best city editions over the years, but this is not one of them. The font reminds me of an 80’s TV show like “Saved by the Bell” or when a serial killer cuts letters out of magazine to make a ransom note.
Toronto Raptors: These are ok, but I really don’t like the black, nor the stripes. The Raptors have that nice purple color sitting there and they should have used it on these, as the cartoon really doesn’t suit the black.
Orlando Magic: Again, this might just be me but I am not a fan of pinstripes, though I think these are the best of the striped jerseys. I do like the orange on the side.
Cleveland Cavaliers: I like these actually. Good color scheme, but not quite sure about the logo which seems too small or something.
Minnesota Timberwolves: They were so close to having something nice here, as I love the color and the font is good but whatever that is on the sides is awful and wrecks these overall.
Los Angeles Lakers: I was very close to putting these in the first group, but I do kind of like the color and the stars on the front. Otherwise it’s just the Lakers and I hate the Lakers. These will sour on me once I have to see LeBron and AD whining whilst wearing them.
Oklahoma City Thunder: At first I thought these might be the worst ones and I had some NSFW white jokes queued up that I had to put in the holster. But they’ve kind of grown on me. I am interested to see what these look like in action, as I feel like they could be very cool or look like a milkman fit from the 1950’s. I can’t make up my mind on these.
Milwaukee Bucks: These are nothing special to be honest, but they are a huge step up from the Cream City catastrophes, which really were awful. I like the purple on the sides though I kind of wish they’d gone with the purple and green as the main colors.
Ranking the NBA city edition uniforms
Cool but could be better…
These seven are cool jerseys that I would definitely buy if I were a fan of these teams. Some are either missing an element or leaned too heavily on last year but they’ve done well here.
Golden State Warriors: These would have probably fallen into the boring category but I do like the lightning bolts with the black backdrop. That little bit of color makes the difference.
Indiana Pacers: Some people don’t like these and I can see why, but I love the throwback colors, as they remind me of Rik Smits and being reminded of the Flying Dutchman and his glorious mullet is always a good thing.
Sacramento Kings: There’s not much to these and the “Sactown” may be played out a bit but I do like the plain black with just that little bit of purple detail. These are simple but I like them.
Utah Jazz
Phoenix Suns
I ranked these two together because they really just recycled their uniforms from last season, but everyone liked them, so it’s probably not a bad call. I think the Suns “Valley” uniforms are slightly overrated by some but they are still interesting. Same with Utah, which really needs to give the name “Jazz” back to New Orleans and call themselves something else that actually fits the city and uniform.
Washington Wizards: I love that they did a color scheme that was a throwback to the “Bullets” days when Washington had a cool mascot. This is another team that needs to find a new nickname as “Wizards” is easily the worst in the entire league and has no relationship to DC whatsoever.
Los Angeles Clippers: I’m a big fan of baby blue, so I like these a lot even though they are pretty boring overall. The color saves it.
Ranking the NBA city edition uniforms
I would buy one of these…
These five uniforms are all really nice and I would think about buying one.
Chicago Bulls: These are just clean and simple, which is what you want when you have an iconic city and team. The Bulls have had some nice ones over the years and these are not the best, but they are pretty nice.
Portland Trail Blazers: I am not a huge fan of whatever is happening on the sides of these but the color scheme is always nice and the “Rip City” is solid even though they’ve used it several times now.
Denver Nuggets: These are interesting, love the color scheme (even the weird pattern on the sides) and the font.
Atlanta Hawks: I know some people do not like these but I dig the color and the hawk. I like when teams try for something different and Atlanta did here.
Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis always has nice alternates and these are no exception. I love the blue color and the simplicity of the design.
Ranking the NBA city edition uniforms
The Elites
I loved all of these and think they were the four best of the lot. Of course, I am extremely biased and some people would not put the Detroit Pistons this high. I care not for those people, nor their incorrect opinions.
Brooklyn Nets: These are a throwback to the old New Jersey Nets colors and font and I think it works well. Love the stripes and stars on the side and they just have a really appealing color scheme overall. I haven’t liked many of Brooklyn’s uniforms so far and think these are the best they’ve done.
Philadelphia 76ers: These too have a throwback feel and I love the colors. Philly is not my favorite team so it was hard to rank them this highly in anything, but I do like these. I wonder if we’ll ever see Ben Simmons wearing one?
Detroit Pistons: To avoid looking like a complete homer, I won’t put the Detroit Pistons number one, but I do like these. They gave the fans a little of what we’ve been asking for without giving into the teal mob. I wish they had gone with the burgundy color instead of bright red, but I still like it. The lightning bolts on the shorts are a nice touch and these are BY FAR the best city editions the Pistons have had and it’s not even close. Well done, Detroit Pistons!
New York Knicks: I hate to say it but these Knicks city editions are nice. I thought they were the only ones that really used black well and I just love the simple design. When you have an iconic city you don’t need to do much and the Knicks hit the mark here.