The definitive 2020-21 NBA City Edition jersey rankings

All 30 NBA City Edition Jerseys have been released

In an age where looking fashionable on the court is more important than ever before, the NBA’s City Edition uniform reveal has become an integral part of any team’s offseason. As of today, all 30 sets have officially hit the market.

Some teams unveiled fresh new looks that will have some staying power, while a few teams need to go back to the drawing board as soon as possible.

The definitive ranking of all 30 2020-21 NBA City Edition jerseys

30. New Orleans Pelicans

People…what is this? I know it’s supposed to be the New Orleans city flag, but who looked at this Times New Roman font and thought it would look cool? A CLEAR winner of the worst City Edition jersey this year.

29. New York Knicks

https://twitter.com/PreggieGR/status/1334240389449048066

Nice white, orange, and blue gradient. Is this an NBA jersey or a fifth-grade book report? It’s always a good design to put the name of your team upside down on the front.

28. Philadelphia 76ers

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1326214789991862277

Supposedly taking inspiration from “Boathouse Row” which is REALLY stretching the definition of the word “landmark”, this jersey looks like it has a bunch of abstract scribbles in the middle. Hard pass.

27. Washington Wizards

Yawn.

26. Charlotte Hornets

Mint, black, and gold on an NBA jersey are like ice cream, a sirloin steak, and Skittles. Individually, they’re great. When combined, it’s an overstimulating, confusing mess.

25. Milwaukee Bucks

It’s better than those awful MECCA jerseys a few years ago, but light blue paired with dark blue makes the whole jersey look plain. Not the worst, but they probably needed to do a second draft.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers

There were literally 1,000 possibilities for how Cleveland could’ve connected their jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they chose one that looks like a ransom note. Who are the Cavs keeping hostage, and what are their demands?

23. Oklahoma City Thunder

https://twitter.com/BoomtownHoops/status/1328217062100099072

The Thunder had some great City Edition unis in the past, but this is the worst of the last three years. the orange stripe and font make it look like something more at home on the side of a NASCAR car.

22. Portland Trail Blazers

Portland put “Oregon” on the front of their jerseys, in case they forget where they play. The weird stripe on the side was the final nail in the coffin for this look.

21. Detroit Pistons

Detroit put “Michigan” on the front of their jersey, in case they, like Portland, also forget where they play. 2020-21 will be a long year in Detroit, and these jerseys don’t help.

20. Dallas Mavericks

Screwing up a gold uniform always knocks teams down a few pegs considering how cool gold can be, and Dallas ended up relegated to the bottom 20 with this ensemble.

19. Sacramento Kings

https://twitter.com/NBASTORE/status/1334556756278566914

The color scheme is really cool, as is the checkerboard side stripe, but something about the phrase “Sactown” doesn’t sit right. At least they’re better than last year’s bunch.

18. Brooklyn Nets

Taking inspiration from a Brooklyn-born artist, these are among the most polarizing looks in this year’s City edition batch. At least they got some color in their monochrome color scheme for once. Bring back the coogi!

17. Orlando Magic

Oh, Magic! You were this close! You brought back the pinstripes and logos from the Shaq-Penny-McGrady era, but you made them orange and silver! A classic case of overthinking things.

16. Boston Celtics

Pros: These are modeled after the championship banners in the garden, making them a pretty nice flex against other franchises.

Cons: It’s drab as hell.

15. Denver Nuggets

Much like the Magic, Denver doused their throwback unis in red and yellow rather than the old-school rainbow Tetris colors. It’s hard to screw up this color scheme, which puts Denver in the middle of the pack.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves

Nothing will ever top the Prince uniforms, but the Timberwolves leaned into the whole North Star motif, and this is a pretty solid result.

13. Houston Rockets

While they didn’t quite nail the vision they were going for, anything attempting to bring the Houston Oilers’ old red, white, and baby blue color scheme back will get high marks in my book.

12. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks honored Martin Luther King with some snazzy new jerseys and a tremendous new court. Solid marks all around for the design team.

11. San Antonio Spurs

The multi-colored look against a plain black jersey looks incongruous, but it’s cool to see them lean into these throwbacks.

10. Utah Jazz

Utah decided to switch to dark mode on their sunset-themed alternates, and the result really pops.

9. Phoenix Suns

Designed by Kelly Oubre before he ended up in Golden State, this jersey SCREAMS Arizona, and they should keep this uni around for the long haul.

8. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are taking cues from the old Minneapolis Lakers, and the silver and blue look is equal parts cool and bold without being over the top.

7. Golden State Warriors

Yes, they play in San Francisco now. However, the “We Believe” Warriors had an awesome color scheme, and it’s cool to see them utilize that.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Switching the city edition’s color white to black once again makes for a strong combination.

5. Toronto Raptors

https://twitter.com/NBASTORE/status/1334559273255383040

See above. The Drake influence has helped Toronto pull off some awesome jerseys over the years, so why change things?

4. Indiana Pacers

https://twitter.com/NBASTORE/status/1334540398694289408

These should be their primary jerseys. The Pacers belong in pinstripes.

3. Chicago Bulls

The art deco style with gold and red font heels like something straight out of 1930s Hollywood. I’m expecting Clark Gable to show up in these fantastic unis.

2. Memphis Grizzlies

These nifty kits are inspired by the life and music of soul legend Isaac Hayes. If they come out to the Shaft theme song before games, they should become your new favorite team.

1. Miami Heat

The gold (neon pink and blue) standard by which all others are judged, The Heat have the top spot until they abandon this combo.