Nike unveiled its new NBA City uniforms this week and they’re … not bad. Not bad at all. OK, some of them need work but most are major upgrades over the team’s primary sets. Let’s rank them all…
T30. Knicks, Raptors, Heat, Rockets
Apparently these teams are too cool to unveil their new unis with the rest of the league, so they get dropped to the bottom of the list. These better be good.
26. Golden State Warriors
I guess the Warriors can’t have all the nice things. Don’t get me wrong: The actual design of this uniform is cool, but the colors really ruin it for me. Has anyone ever made the primary colors look good in combination? And what’s with the weird teal color on the shorts?
25. New Orleans Pelicans
Clearly Mardi Gras inspired. Look, even the uniform numbers are drunk.
24. Utah Jazz
What is going on here? These hurt to look at. It’s like Nike asked, “What if we gave them those old Astros uniforms but made them worse?”
23. OKC Thunder
Not a fan of gray uniforms and these are way too cluttered.
22. San Antonio Spurs
I get that the Spurs are trying to honor the U.S. Armed Forces, but camo is kind of played, right? The Padres did this like 20 years ago. Army and Navy football raised the bar on military-inspired uniforms.
21. Dallas Mavericks
Love the color scheme but the design is just too generic. And what’s with the DAL? Your abbreviation is not cool enough to be featured on a jersey, Dallas.
20. Boston Celtics
The homage to the parquet floors is fine, but why gray? Boston should never wear gray.
19. Indiana Pacers
Sure.
18. Cleveland Cavaliers
These look like they belong on a MAC basketball team. #NoMoreGray
17. Milwaukee Bucks
Not really a fan of the creme color jerseys. These are going to look weird on Matthew Dellavedova. Just wait and see what I mean.
16. Sacramento Kings
The Lion logo is dope and so is the color scheme. The weird white at the top of the uniforms brings these down a notch or two though.
15. Washington Wizards
Being from D.C., I want to like these more, but they’re just meh. I think it’s the wordmark that’s throwing it off for me. D.C. has an awesome flag — it should have been prominently featured on these.
14. Orlando Magic
I’m putting these right in the middle because I don’t know how to feel about them. I like the whole space thing they got going on but maybe a little more subtly next time? The UCF football team did it right.
13. Chicago Bulls
I like them. They’re not all that interesting, but they look fine.
12. Brooklyn Nets
These look good but the Nets get docked points for a lack of creativity. They just added a bridge pattern to their normal uniforms.
11. Detroit Pistons
They’re only this high because I just now noticed them. They get the job done, I guess, but don’t really stand out.
10. Phoenix Suns
Too much purple? Maybe. But the cleaner look is a lot better than what the Suns are wearing on a nightly basis.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
I know I’ve been railing against the use of gray in these uniforms, but the Wolves uniforms get it right. That’s more of a silver, anyway.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
These are supposed to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence with the cursive lettering and parchment-colored uniforms. U-S-A! U-S-A!
7. Los Angeles Lakers
A lot going on here. We have a throwback template with modern colors and a snakeskin pattern for Kobe. Somehow, Nike managed to make it all work.
6. Denver Nuggets
I’m a sucker for the Nuggets’ pickaxe logo. Sorry.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
Make these your primary uniforms, Clippers. NOW.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
These look so clean and have a good story behind them:
“The uniform is inspired by the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike ‘I Am A Man’ slogans and reflects on the events, circumstance and losses surrounding the movement, including the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
3. Portland Trail Blazers
These could be No. 1. Every detail is perfect: The pattern inspired by the late Dr. Jack Ramsay, the pinwheel-inspired piping on the sides, the way the red pops off the black. These make me want to go read “Breaks of the Game.”
2. Atlanta Hawks
I’m not sure what going on with the Atlanta wordmark, but I like it. The homage to the Hawks’ old throwbacks is also a nice touch. And, thankfully, Nike didn’t go overboard with that triangle pattern they’re trying to force on us.
1. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have the best color scheme in the NBA, I don’t care what anyone says. And Nike makes perfect use of it here. These also get points for the “Buzz City” wordmark.