The is known for allowing its teams to take some risks with alternative kits, and so the selection of City Edition kits for the 2024-25 season was unveiled on Thursday. There were some Grand Slam successes, but others failed.
The reigning champion Boston Celtics had one of the most disappointing City Edition entries. Their modern take on an iconic jersey just didn't work, and the same goes for this New York Knicks.
At the other end of the spectrum are teams like this Toronto Raptors And Utah Jazz gave the people what they wanted with different takes on popular retro designs. Then, the Memphis Grizzlies And Detroit Pistons has created truly unique and stylish jerseys that should fly off the shelves in these cities.
Let's see who stood out, for better or for worse, in the 2024-25 City Edition jersey rankings.
30. Boston Celtics
After the franchise's 18th NBA title, what direction are we going with the City Edition jerseys? That is certainly a choice. The Celtics have one of the most iconic looks in all of sports, so creating a replacement will always be a challenge, but the neon green and modern font is no winner. Let's just drip some highlighter yellow into the next Bruins sweater while we're at it.
At first glance I was confused as to what the Bulls were trying to do here, then I read that these jerseys celebrate the 30th anniversary of the United Center. That made a little more sense, but it would have been cool to see this jersey as some kind of homage to the legendary team that won three straight titles at the arena.
There is a lot of snow and ice in Minnesota. That seems to be what this jersey is all about, and the large amount of white space is a little confusing.
Miami could have come up with some really cool options, but this looks like a catchphrase or a bumper sticker plastered on a red jersey. I admire Heat Culture as much as anyone, but this look pales in comparison to other City Edition uniforms.
Bring the wizard back. I just want to see a bearded wizard with a basketball on a jersey. Washington has a unique mascot and decides not to get involved with it.
This design doesn't work for me, but I would like to thank the Nets for giving the City Edition jersey to local artist KAWS. This look definitely stands out from other jerseys, but that's nothing to worry about for you.
24. New York Knicks
Similar to the Celtics, it's a tall order for the Knicks to develop an alternate jersey when the original is near perfect. While I like this better than the Celtics' City Edition look, it still falls flat. The double “New York” on the pinstripes is just too much.
When I think of Orlando Magic, I don't necessarily think of an “armored texture base” and a “gothic font.” There's just a little too much going on here and much of it is a muted shade of gray.
Maybe I'm becoming an old man, but few things about this jersey work for me. I don't like the font and the color scheme is a downgrade from the team's traditional colors.
I don’t like the nickname “LakeShow” on the jersey. Using “Showtime” might have been a better option, but it might not have been available. Forgive me. I'm not familiar with the legal ins and outs of television broadcasters.
From a distance, the check pattern inside the Rip City logo seemed like a really nice touch, but then I realized that the check pattern seems to run through the entire jersey from top to bottom. At least the Trail Blazers leaned into their Portland roots.
The Pacific Blue base color is a nice touch here, but I don't quite like the rest of the jersey. However, this is clearly a cut over the jerseys underneath.
The Nuggets have made a big swing here. While I'm not entirely sure it was enough for a home run, I can certainly appreciate the achievement. The coloring is really nice and I like the image of the Rocky Mountains in 5280. I'm just not sure I like 5280 right above the player's number. Perhaps it would rank higher if the colors were used in some way at the bottom of the jersey.
This is a perfectly good and inoffensive NBA jersey, and it lands in a perfectly average spot on this list.
The Rockets are honoring their back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 with a City Edition jersey, and I have mixed feelings. I like the idea of making it look like a championship banner, but the H-Town logo kind of detracts from that concept.
This one has some great elements, but do they all fit together seamlessly? I'm not so sure. I like the western font and the homage to the 1995 All-Star uniforms. In my opinion, these two elements just don't fit together.
I kind of like the color scheme here and using the state border as a stripe is a cool concept. On paper it doesn't quite fit in with other top tier jerseys, but I could see it looking great in game action.
These jerseys pay homage to the Cleveland Museum of Art and feature the words “Color by Numbers” on the side panel. These two things, along with the font, make a good concept. It simply can't compete with the very best looks in this ranking.
In my humble opinion, this is a slightly inferior version of the 2023-24 City Edition jersey, which also featured this logo. The team mentioned that this look was partially inspired by local legend Leon Bridges, so it gets points for that.
The Hornets can just keep going with the mint look and it will work for me every time. If it's not broken, it doesn't need to be repaired. That's a nice jersey.
At first glance I didn't like this jersey, but over the time I've worked through these rankings, it's grown on me. “Heritage Blue” and “Buttery Brown” are a nice combination and the whole thing has a cool retro vibe.
Some may think this is too simple, but I think less is more, especially when compared to some of its City Edition counterparts. This is simply a clean look with a classic color scheme.
The Pelicans have an unfair advantage in New Orleans, which they are taking full advantage of here. The “herringbone” is great and the whole thing has a touch of voodoo.
The Warriors took a similar approach to the Kings. Don't overdo it, make a few references to the city and incorporate a tried and tested color scheme. I think it worked for both teams, but especially for the Warriors.
6. Utah Jazz
As a child of the 90s, I think of these mountains when I think of jazz. This just feels right to me and the revised purple color scheme works well.
This is just a very clear throwback to the 76ers jerseys from the early 70's and looks fantastic. Philly didn't overcomplicate things, which is more than can be said for the Phillies' latest City Connect jerseys.
Everything about this Spurs jersey just hits the right note. The font, the color scheme that highlights the Talavera tiles, and the shading behind the numbers give San Antonio a unique look in the best way possible.
3. Toronto Raptors
This jersey features a velociraptor performing Vince Carter's iconic dunk from the 2000 NBA All-Star Game. Do I need to say more?
2. Detroit Pistons
This is one of the few City Edition jerseys that should be considered as a new full-time look. These jerseys pay homage to the back-to-back NBA titles of 1989 and 1990, but have the perfect modern touch and the “bone” base color really sets them apart.
1. Memphis Grizzlies
These jerseys were the No. 1 with a bullet, simply in a class all their own. The Grizzlies wanted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ABA's Memphis Sounds, and that's exactly what they did. In fact, they may have done too good a job because I'm going to start a movement to change the team name permanently.
