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Worst To Best: Ranking The NBA 2021 City Jerseys

Jason Koeppel/ONE37pm

A new NBA season is rapidly approaching and, since Nike took over the uniforms from Adidas back in 2017, that also means a new 'City Edition' jersey is rapidly approaching. These jerseys integrate some part of the city that the teams play in, whether that's 'Boathouse Row' in Philadelphia, oranges from Orlando or the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. We've given every jersey a Wack, Mid or Fire ranking so you know which NBA teams to avoid on League Pass this year.

1. Los Angeles Clippers

clips
nbashop.com

Just last year's boring jersey in black? Shoutout to the graphic designers who finessed the Clippers' marketing team on this one.

2. Detroit Pistons

pistons
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

It looks like someone updated their paint program on their Windows 98 computer and finally got curved font! So plain it hurts.

3. Toronto Raptors

raptors
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

When Drake is a part of your organization and this is the best you can come up with, it's extremely disappointing to say the least. I guess Drizzy really has his hands full with Adonis.

4. Houston Rockets

rockets
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

This is a huge step backwards from last year's city edition jersey with the checkerboard on the side and the clean astronaut-looking font. Respect for taking a gamble and completely changing colors but it didn't pay off here.

5. Brooklyn Nets

nets
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

When these were first leaked, people legit thought it was a joke. Do I need to say anything else?

6. Boston Celtics

celts
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

Paying homage to the championship banners, I get it. But what I don't get is how you don't do a single other thing on the jersey to spice it up.

7. Oklahoma City Thunder

okc
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

I first thought it was dope that they created a jersey that looked like a race car driver's jacket but then I found out that it wasn't supposed to look like a race car driver's jacket.

8. Milwaukee Bucks

bucks
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

Anytime the Bucks come out with a jersey and don't plaster that iconic deer on the front, it's an L.

9. Orlando Magic

magic
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pmI

I love the concept/color scheme of oranges from Florida and all that but they should've swung for the fences, this feels like they just tried bunting to get the runner over.

10. Sacramento Kings

kings
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

The jersey itself isn't terrible but when you think of the team name being the 'Kings,' you expect so much more out of royalty.

11. Dallas Mavericks

mavs
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

The Mavericks' color scheme is pretty limiting to begin with so I like that they completely changed it up, I just don't know if I'm in love with the design of it...and for those reasons, I'm out.

12. Cleveland Cavaliers

cavs
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

What they tried doing here is respectable but it ended up looking like a ransom letter from Kevin Love asking someone to save him from Cleveland.

13. Los Angeles Lakers

lakers
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

It's hard to miss with light blue and white and I don't think the Lakers necessarily missed here, it's just decent and that's it.

14. New York Knicks

knicks
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

At first, this die-hard Knicks fan absolutely hated these. However, they've started to grow on me thanks to the blue and orange gradient and NYC patch on the upper left chest.

15. Atlanta Hawks

hawks
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

I'm a fan of the color scheme, a fan of the big letters and a fan of the cause. Good jersey, not great.

16. Utah Jazz

jazz
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

The whole sunset theme was absolute heat and this jersey just gives us a tease of it. Disappointed but still clean.

17. Philadelphia 76ers

76ers
Jason Koeppel // ONE47pm

When you bring back a legend like Allen Iverson to help hype up the new jersey, I expect something legendary. These are obviously not legendary but the hat tip to Boathouse Row was cool.

18. Denver Nuggets

nuggets
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

Denver has some of the nicest team colors in the league to work with so going red was dangerous. Even though it looks a little like a jersey from aliexpress, it works.

19. Portland Trailblazers

portland
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

You can tell the Blazers really thought about this one. From the sleek brown to the topographic map pattern to the color tribute to local tribal nations, this is a solid jersey.

20. New Orleans Pelicans

pelicans
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

Probably one of the most criticized jerseys on Twitter, this is clean and I look forward to seeing it 40 feet in the air when Zion goes up for an alleyoop.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves

wolves
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

Forget about this being a tribute to the north star and all that, it's black and neon green and the fact that we don't have a professional sports team called the aliens pisses me off to this day. The Wolves get all the love for this galactic jersey.

22. Chicago Bulls

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Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

This is how you do a primarily black and gold jersey, Toronto.

23. Miami Heat

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Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

People are either going to love or hate this one, and it's just so hard to mess up a pink and light blue jersey.

24. Washington Wizards

wizards
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

Maybe it's the Yankees fan in me that subconsciously loves navy and gray but this is one of the coolest patriotic jerseys I've seen in a while.

25. Phoenix Suns

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Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

The marketing team for the Suns have one of the easiest jobs in the NBA when it comes to designing jerseys due to all the iconic jerseys they have to pick from. They went in a new direction with this Minecraft-looking jersey and they killed it.

26. San Antonio Spurs

spurs
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

This is a fiesta-themed jersey which features bright colors on a black jersey. What more can I say?

27. Indiana Pacers

pacers
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

If you don't look at this and immediately think of Jermaine O'Neal, you're too young for me. Not pictured here is the Motorola logo that'll appear as a patch and the memories from 2006 are flooding back.

28. Golden State Warriors

warriors
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

The classic #WeBelieve Warriors jerseys with a tribute to Oakland as the team now plays in San Francisco. Magnificent.

29. Memphis Grizzlies

griz
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

It was SO hard not putting this number one. The Grizzlies always get it right and this jersey is no difference: the details on the collar/side lining, the beautiful color scheme and the modern font. 10/10 from me.

30. Charlotte Hornets

hornets
Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

What looks like a color scheme stolen from Diamond Supply Co., Michael Jordan's team did their thing on this one. Bright turquoise, pinstripes, the Jordan logo and one of the league's brightest young players in LaMelo Ball? Charlotte is headed in the right direction.

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