The 2023-24 Nike NBA City Edition uniforms were unveiled last Thursday. NBA fans will be treated to another season where alternate uniforms, according to Nike, continue to “represent the stories, history and heritage that make each franchise unique.” The uniforms are now in their seventh season with the NBA, and they have been a big hit in the past. Home teams will wear the uniforms throughout the NBA In-Season Tournament, which tipped off last Friday and will run until Dec. 9. The big question: How does this year’s collection of uniforms look? The 30 Nike NBA City Edition jerseys for the 2023-24 season. The unveiling gave The Athletic’s team of Jason Jones, James Edwards III and Kelly Iko an opportunity to discuss the jerseys in depth. The trio conferred about all 30 City Edition jerseys and came up with its own power rankings. The writers ranked each team using a scoring system where 30 points were given to their favorite jersey, all the way to one point given to their least favorite. This explains the numbers in parentheses next to each writer’s name below. Which jersey was the collective favorite? Here are the rankings and the writers’ thoughts of each, starting from worst to first. (All images are courtesy of Nike and the NBA) The Wizards jersey pays homage to the 40 boundary stones of the original outline of the District of Columbia. Edwards (5 points): This makes me want a Mountain Dew Baja Blast from Taco Bell. Iko (2): Have you ever chewed, like, five Skittles at once and looked at it? This is that. Come on, y’all. Jones (1): There’s a lot going on here. Doesn’t really work for me. This jersey was made in collaboration with Brooklyn artist and designer Brian Donnelly, known professionally as KAWS. Jones (7): The artwork for “Nets” is supposed to give a graffiti vibe. I wish it would have leaned more into that, especially with this season occurring as hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary. Edwards (6): I’m all for trying to be creative and different; you take a risk when you do that. But the Nets took a risk, and they failed. Miserably. Iko (1): It’s actually fitting that this was inspired by KAWS’ “Tension,” because that’s exactly the type of headache I get from looking at this for too long. This is a bad jersey. It’s actually baffling because KAWS makes some really dope art. The triangle-shaped word mark is a reminder of the throwback design after the team moved from Minneapolis in the 1960s. Jones (10): A mash between the early and modern Lakers. Not a big fan of the triangular shape of “Los Angeles,” but I understand its ties to the early days of the Lakers in the city. What would have been wild would have been something lake-related. That would have stood out more than another black jersey. Iko (5): What’s going on in Los Angeles? I get it, Laker Nation rides hard for its team, but when I go to the store, I’m not thinking about the triangle offense. It could be worse though … like Brooklyn’s. Edwards (4): I don’t really care about the reasoning for the placement of “Los Angeles.” It looks bad. Horrific. It’s like someone went to JOANN Fabrics and tried to make a custom Lakers jersey but ended up not measuring the width of the jersey correctly. For such a historic franchise, I expected better. Memphis’ jersey prominently features the “MEM” logo that has been seen on the waistbands and collars of past uniforms. Iko (15): I once got lost on Beale Street trying to get to FedExForum in Memphis. These give me the same confused vibe. The font is a cool idea, but it wasn’t executed well enough. Back to the drawing board. Jones (3): The Grizzlies had my favorite City Edition jersey last season. Not so much this year. It’s basic. Doesn’t have the same personality as last season when the jersey screamed Memphis swagger. Edwards (2): Someone on social media said the Memphis jersey is a QR code to see the actual jersey, and I can’t stop laughing. Horrible. GO DEEPER NBA City Edition 2022-23: Every alternate jersey ranked from 29(?) to 1 Indiana’s jersey has a street-art look resembling the murals and signs throughout Indianapolis neighborhoods. Edwards (13): I don’t mind this, because it’s different without being too extra. The color combination is obscure, and while it doesn’t make any sense to me in terms of a connection to Indianapolis, it’s not an ugly jersey. Middle of the pack for me. Iko (6): There is way too much going on. These are a mess. Jones (2): When I think of Indiana, I don’t think vibrant, which is what this jersey is. I’ve been to Indianapolis plenty of times, but this just doesn’t connect with the city for me. Heat fans are all in on “Heat Culture,” which this jersey proudly acknowledges. Iko (10): “Heat Culture” is one of those things that should be said and understood, not displayed on the front of a jersey. Miami has so many more things to offer as a city that could have been used with these jerseys. Missed opportunity. Jones (9): Nothing “Miami Vice”-related? No vibrant colors? A red-and-black jersey seems pretty simple. Adding “Heat Culture” is a nice touch, but when it comes to Miami, I prefer the “Vice” theme. Edwards (3): I don’t think saying “Heat Culture” is as corny as most people do, but a jersey that says “Heat Culture” … yeah, that’s corny. Denver’s jersey shows “5280” across the chest. A mile is 5,280 feet. Denver’s the “Mile-High City.” This one is pretty easy. Iko (14): This might have ranked higher if pickaxes were on the front and the mountains were on the back. They also could have done without the “5280” slapped across the middle. Three and four numbers on the front of a jersey is for AAU. Distracting. Jones (8): I’m still not sure how I feel about “5280” across the chest. I understand the significance, but how many numbers do you need on the front of a jersey? It takes away from the Denver skyline in the background. Edwards (1): Whoever came up with this jersey should be suspended (with pay, of course). I’m sorry. I like Denver as a city, and I love the Nuggets, but these are comically bad. Some players will have six numbers on the front of their jerseys when Denver wears them. Six. A black jersey with purple and highlighter-green accents gives a vibrant look for a New Orleans team representing a vibrant city. Edwards (12): Do these glow in the dark? If not, that’s disappointing. Iko (12): Somehow, some way, I blame (Pelicans writer) Will Guillory for these. Jones (4): The perfect jersey to wear around Halloween. Oklahoma City’s jersey aims to celebrate the city’s community art and appreciate the landscape of the Sooner State. Edwards (20): I like the color combinations, as well as the font of “OKC.” I’m a fan of these. Jones (5): This scheme matches the “Love’s” patch. Maybe that was intentional. The orange jumps out, but it’s pretty simple overall. Iko (4): This makes me think of McDonald’s. These are pretty blah, but they might look better framed. This jersey was designed in collaboration with Los Angeles-based artist Jonas Wood. “Clips” recreates the team’s word mark from the 1980s. Edwards (17): I wanted to knock it down some points for being so basic, but the ugliness of some other jerseys made it hard to penalize the Clippers for not trying. Iko (7): Did Marcus Morris make this as a parting gift? Morris averaged 12 points as a Clipper. This is that, but in jersey form: I came to work and I did the job that was asked of me. Jones (6): Nothing too fancy with this. No cool backstory or details in the description. Just a plain “Clips” jersey. “Chicago” printed vertically on the jersey, coupled with “Madhouse on Madison” on the jock tag is set to remind Bulls fans of the old Chicago Stadium days. Edwards (15): I ended up with them in the middle of the pack because I don’t like the placement of “Chicago.” It should be a little bit lower. That messed it all up for me. Jones (12): The intent is to be a nod to the old Chicago Stadium of the early 1990s. “Chicago” down the front of the jersey reminds me of the shooting shirts worn by a young Michael Jordan. It’s not the most imaginative, but it works. Iko…
