The NBA has been doing this “City” jersey thing for a while now with Nike and, normally, it’s a fun exercise.
There’s always some bad. There’s always some good. But, in the end, there’s usually some sort of appreciation for what the jerseys are bringing to the table. By the end of the season, most fans normally have some favorites they love.
I can only speak for myself here when I say this time, I don’t have any favorites. Not one. Nothing is speaking to me.
The NBA’s City jerseys for the 2023-24 season range from OK to bad to just downright confusing. It’s kind of hilarious.
This is happening in part because Nike and the NBA are matching up the new digs with the new courts the league is implementing for its first-ever in-season NBA tournament.
The tournament seems like it could be a fun time. I assure you, these jerseys will not.
Let’s dig into them. Here’s every single jersey so far, ranked.
1
Phoenix Suns
The Valley jerseys were a hit with the Suns before. They go back to the well in a unique way here paying homage to Phoenix’s native heritage and it works extremely well. These are good.
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2
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have the best in-season tournament court, in my view, and I think the jerseys are solid, too. They remind me of the Raygun sneakers, which is one of my all-time favorites.
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3
Utah Jazz
That purple is always good in my book with the Utah Jazz. They made the smart play here riffing off of their OG look. Normally, I’d be a bit more harsh on the nostalgia play but considering what the counterparts look like up and down this list, I’m loving these joints.
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4
Houston Rockets
I don’t really have a complaint about this jersey. The color is good. H-Town is cool. I love the font. Solid work, Rockets.
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5
Minnesota Timberwolves
This is one icy jersey — literally, it looks like ice. I can appreciate that. It’s the trim with the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” on the side that is just too much for me. Did we really have to type that out? It’s so on the nose.
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6
Cleveland Cavaliers
Wine and gold is generally hard to mess up. I think the Cavs do a fine enough job here. The whole “The Land” branding is kind of played out to me, but otherwise these are fine.
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7
Boston Celtics
This Celtics jersey would be at the top of these rankings if that wood trim on the side didn’t look like it was forced in on this jersey. That’s so weird. Otherwise, these are nice. They look kind of like a banner.
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8
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were shooting for that whole “bad boy” look with these and I don’t know if they quite scratch that itch for me. The crossbones on the side are doing a bit too much. But I love that Detroit font and, overall, the color blocking is good enough.
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9
Milwaukee Bucks
Blue and green color schemes always feel a bit childish to me. But the watery look of this jersey saves it here. I like them.
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10
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers paying homage to Jack Ramsey with the argyle pattern is always going to be good in my book. Love this.
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11
Atlanta Hawks
These are sort of boring, but I dig them. That’s a nice blue on the jersey and the cream striped trim is solid. They’re not great. But this is going to look alright on court.
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12
Charlotte Hornets
The Buzz City look from the Hornets is cool. They easily have one of the better team color schemes in the league. The Hornets just need to go back to the old logo from the 1990s and all will be well again.
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13
Sacramento Kings
That OG Kings font is always really nice — even if the jerseys are just a cliche red, white and blue. I wish there was some purple somewhere on this.
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14
Golden State Warriors
The tilted San Francisco here is supposed to remind you of the San Francisco rail car. It’s weird, but I think it’s a bit creative.
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15
Toronto Raptors
My biggest complaint about the Raptors jerseys here is the jagged trim on the sides. That’s kind of weird. Otherwise, though, this is a nice gold. And the Raptors still have one of the best team fonts in the NBA.
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16
Los Angeles Lakers
These are pretty interesting, I think. I wish they were a lighter color instead of black, but the purple trim on that Lakers gold is a nice touch. It doesn’t get much better than this, though.
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17
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks’ logo here is so weird. It looks like something you’d see at the beginning of a late-1970’s sitcom. You are now watching “MAVS.” Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode.
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18
Oklahoma City Thunder
That’s a really nice orange. If the jersey was black on orange, I think it’d be pretty awesome. But whatever is in the background of this joint just kind of ruins it for me.
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19
Orlando Magic
These Magic jerseys look like the Venom symbiote from Spiderman took control of the jersey and gave it triple-black color blocking. No, that’s not a compliment.
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20
New York Knicks
This jersey would be cool if the logo didn’t make me so dizzy. I can’t stare at that New York too long in the center there. I might end up on the ground.
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21
Los Angeles Clippers
Not only does the Clippers’ court look like a beer can, but apparently Kawhi Leonard and company will be running around on the court looking like beer cans, too. Nice.
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22
Philadelphia 76ers
The brotherly love font here is pretty solid. It’s the color on the jersey that throws me off here. It’s just so dark. If this was a cream shade they’d be top five.
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23
Washington Wizards
The Wizards jersey here looks like something you’d buy out of the gift shop at Phillips seafood. It pays homage to the stone monuments in Washington, D.C., which is a cool story. But these just aren’t good.
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24
Indiana Pacers
25
New Orleans Pelicans
Why is this jersey so spooky? It totally works for a Halloween costume. But on the court in, say, December? It doesn’t quite feel the same.
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26
Chicago Bulls
A lot of these jerseys are just too boring. That’s what this Bulls joint is, too — plain boring. It just goes to show you that the team’s identity outside of Michael Jordan isn’t much to write home about.
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27
Denver Nuggets
The whole 5,280 feet over sea level was a running hook for the Nuggets during last season’s playoffs. It was definitely fun, too. The team played it up a ton. But this right here? This is bad. This number doesn’t mean anything to 90 percent of folks. What team is this, again?
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28
Memphis Grizzlies
This jersey looks like something you can scan at self-checkout in the grocery store. Enough said. Next.
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29
Brooklyn Nets
What in the Tune Squad are we looking at here? I think I see what the Nets were trying to go for with this one. I, for one, love a colorful camo print. It’s the cartoonish Nets font that just throws the jersey off a bit. It’s a KAWS design and KAWS is great. These are just … not.
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30
Miami Heat
OK, we get it. Heat culture. We believe you, Miami. We accept that it exists. But did you really need to just plaster CULTURE on the front of your jerseys? Come on, yo. This is corny. Enough already.
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