Between the injuries hampering Joel Embiid every season (seriously, he's missed at least a quarter of a season's worth a game every year of his career), Paul George basically live-tweeting the collapse of their 2025 season, a devastating injury stopping a legitimate Rookie of the Year campaign, and arguably the worst cap situation in the NBA everything not named Tyrese Maxey or VJ Edgecombe just feels rancid about the Philadelphia 76ers going into 2026.
But if they're spiraling the drain, this team is going to look good doing it. In a spot of good news, images leaked of their plans to bring back the aesthetic of Allen Iverson's historic 2001 season before the Sixers teased the return of the iconic black jerseys of the early to mid-2000's.
Why this hasn't been done yet is a burning question, as hearkening back to their most successful season since the turn of the century is not just a good look for the Sixers, but how throwback campaigns should be done. And in the spirit of that, these are the teams that should bring something back from successful eras past:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 1978-1995 Supersonics Away Jersey
No, they no longer play in Seattle. It's still a crime that the Thunder have not paid homage to their roots. But fresh after the franchise's first championship since 1979, they have the opportunity to tribute both of Seattle's most successful eras (the championship year and the Payton/Kemp duo) in one shot.
2. Brooklyn Nets: 1997-2006 Home Jersey
The Nets' callback is similar to the Sixers' and Thunder's, but in different ways. For a franchise that seems back to the graveyard of forgotten current teams, a return to their greatest player's iconic back-to-back Finals runs would do the team a lot of good -- and coincidentally, also like the Sixers, this run also dates back to the turn of the millennium. And like Oklahoma City, Brooklyn feels almost shy to call back to their old home, though they've been a little more enthusiastic in recent years. But it's high time that they drew from those great Jason Kidd-led squads instead of digging into the ancient past.
3. New Orleans Pelicans: 2004-2007 Hornets Alternate Jersey
And the theme continues with the Pelicans (seriously, it should make you feel old that the mid-2000's are now considered throwback years). Let's be honest: the Mardi Gras theming that they've done, while good, has fallen very flat over the years, with the one real exception being the 2025 uniforms; sleep on the bone jerseys at your peril. But remember when Chris Paul was an MVP candidate that revived New Orleans' morale post-Katrina? He and Drew Brees were, and are, legendary sports figures in the Crescent City. It's time that CP3 got some love down there, particularly with the yellow and powder blue alternates the team sported.
4. Los Angeles Clippers: 1973-1978 Braves Home Jersey
Why does it feel like the Clippers have been cursed ever since Buffalo? Seriously, even now, controversy seems to latch onto the team like the mayhem guy in those All-State commercials. And presently, the team could use a bit of a refresh, even though their recent rebrand is already a bit of a step up from previous years. And yes, LA has already hearkened back to the Braves as recently as the 2020 season, but they picked the lesser jersey by far. The powder blue is clean, classic, and goes with their current color scheme.
5. New York Knicks - 1997-2001 Away Jersey
The Knicks are the highest they've been since they shocked the world as 8th seed Finals Cinderella's. The orange and blue is classic, but the black paneling on the side of the late-Ewing Era away jerseys was such an iconic look all on its own. Jalen Brunson & Co. deserve to draw upon the aura of those Y2K Knicks threads with what they've done for the franchise.