- Nike and the NBA released 30 "City" edition jerseys for the 2021-22 NBA season.
- We put the jerseys into tiers, from Best, Good, Fine, Below Average, and Worst.
- The Nets, Bulls, Hornets, and Timberwolves all earned high marks.
- Please at least try next year, Oklahoma City Thunder.
One thing to know: It's a tad surprising the Brooklyn Nets would want to evoke memories of their New Jersey days, but the colors on these retro jerseys are clean and easy on the eyes. The stripes on the side are a throwback to the team's ABA roots, according to Nike.
BEST: Charlotte HornetsOne thing to know: The Hornets have leaned into their '90s color schemes, and the beehive honeycomb design remains a winner.
BEST: Chicago BullsOne thing to know: Clean, simple, and bold, these evoke memories of the '60s-80s Bulls, including Michael Jordan's early years.
BEST: Minnesota TimberwolvesOne thing to know: Icy blue, black scratch marks, and green pine imagery and highlights, these jerseys nicely evoke a snowy Minnesota winter and bring back '90s and 2000s Wolves vibes without leaning too hard into the retro look.
GOOD: Atlanta HawksOne thing to know: The winged hawk from the '90s returns over a retro lettering and numbering and a yellow jersey that pops and stands out from their usual jerseys.
GOOD: Cleveland CavaliersOne thing to know: The gold and wine — a rich color palette if there ever was one — looks good, and more teams should lean into old-school cartoonish imagery, like the little swordsman on the jersey.
GOOD: Denver NuggetsOne thing to know: The Nuggets kept the pleasing "Rainbow Skyline" scheme, but these jerseys lack the pop of the Rocky Mountains on the chest that made previous editions so popular.
GOOD: Detroit PistonsOne thing to know: It's hard to mess up red and blue. The lightning-strike shorts evoke retro Pistons jerseys, though we miss the racing theme of last year's jerseys, which fit the Motor City.
GOOD: Memphis GrizzliesOne thing to know: The Grizzlies have kept up the Pacific Northwest tribal art from their Vancouver days. These jerseys continue that while using their Memphis-based color scheme.
GOOD: Portland Trail BlazersOne thing to know: Simple black, red, and white, the Blazers jerseys bring back the font from the Bill Walton era in the '70s while using the "Rip City" moniker coined back then, too.
GOOD: Utah JazzOne thing to know: If these are terribly different than the dark, desert-themed uniforms the Jazz used last season, let us know. Either way, they're good and locale-appropriate, a big plus.
FINE: Golden State WarriorsOne thing to know: Not much different from recent jerseys featuring the Bay Bridge, the blue steaks in this still add a nice element.
FINE: Houston RocketsOne thing to know: In a nod to the '90s, the Rockets are bringing back the rocket-ship design, which didn't look great at the time, but is a nice change from the plain red-and-white uniforms they typically wear.
FINE: Indiana PacersOne thing to know: Not a lot to say here — they're fine!
FINE: Los Angeles LakersOne thing to know: The purple is nice, but it's missing the gold that sets the Lakers apart as NBA royalty.
FINE: Milwaukee BucksOne thing to know: The Bucks' color schemes can be a bit drab, so the bright white and light greens are a nice change of pace. Now bring back the basketball-playing deer!
FINE: New York KnicksOne thing to know: The black is a change of pace, and the checkered shorts are cool if you look closely, but what has always popped about the Knicks — and MSG — is the bright arena and blue paint, which these uniforms are missing. From a distance, these will look bland.
FINE: Philadelphia 76ersOne thing to know: The Sixers often have some of the best jerseys in the NBA, but this strays too far out of the classic, red-white-and-blue, colonial theme that has been working well.
FINE: Phoenix SunsOne thing to know: The Suns bring back the desert- and mountain-themed Valley uniforms of last season. They're fine, but they feel as if they are missing something or might be an iteration or two away from making our top tier.
FINE: Sacramento KingsOne thing to know: Purple and black is a nice color scheme, and "Sactown" is the sort of fun nickname the City jerseys lean into.
FINE: San Antonio SpursOne thing to know: For a franchise known most for a black-and-white color scheme, the '90s style "fiesta stripes" are a fun addition, but it feels as if they could have gone further. They also have Flint Tropics vibes.
FINE: Washington WizardsOne thing to know: With so many throwback themes, it's surprising the Wizards didn't reincorporate the goofy wizard from the 2000s. Otherwise, these simple blue and red jerseys are fine but not exciting.
BELOW AVERAGE: Boston CelticsOne thing to know: There are cool little tributes to team history here, like the 17 title banners on the bottom right of the jersey (which may not be visible if the jersey is tucked in), Lucky the Leprechaun, and the clover on the shorts, but these are still a little dull.
BELOW AVERAGE: Dallas MavericksOne thing to know: Drawing on its '90s uniforms (an uninspiring period of basketball for the Mavs), these are inoffensive but not terribly eye-catching or interesting. The cowboy hat on the "D" is good, however.
BELOW AVERAGE: LA ClippersOne thing to know: What is there to say? The colors are different and give a sunny, southern California vibe but are unremarkable. These, too, give us Flint Tropics vibes.
BELOW AVERAGE: Miami HeatOne thing to know: The Heat's "Vice" jerseys were some of the most celebrated jerseys ever, but these look like a ransom note and feel unlikely to age well.
BELOW AVERAGE: New Orleans PelicansOne thing to know: There's nothing wrong with these, but it remains confusing why a team in one of the most vibrant cities has such dull uniforms (and incorporates very little pelican imagery, a fun, local element).
BELOW AVERAGE: Orlando MagicOne thing to know: Props to the Magic for trying something different with the pinstripes, but the orange on the dark grey gives a brown look and hardly evokes the magic of Disney. The silver stars are nice, though.
BELOW AVERAGE: Toronto RaptorsOne thing to know: The basketball-playing Raptor is a great staple of NBA logoism, but Toronto ditching the red and purple for a black and gold theme is ... bleh.
WORST: Oklahoma City ThunderOne thing to know: Did the Thunder realize last minute that they left these unfinished and had to submit them to meet a deadline?
All of the new NBA 'City' jerseys ranked in tiers, from best to worst
Source: Kalayaan News
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