The Loop

Ranking the 10 best new jerseys ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season

October 15, 2019

ALERT: We are one week away from the start of the NBA season. It’s unfathomable. How did this sneak up on us? Cue the music!

Next Tuesday, we will see the depleted Raptors take on the depleted Pelicans and the undepleted Clippers take on the undepleted Lakers. It will be a joyous day for my household and many others across the country as we undertake a topsy-turvy campaign in which every single player seems to be in a new city.

However, there is some consistency...like the Knicks being terrible. I think they have 12 power-forwards. Maybe one will be good. Probably not, but anything is possible!

As the NBA is wont to do, they are slowly trickling out new uniforms for teams across the country (and Canada) and we at The Loop decided to rank them. So here they are—the best new jerseys for the NBA in 2019. Let’s do the damn thing.


10) Golden State Warriors

Just because this is at number 10 doesn’t mean these are terrible jerseys. There are plenty that didn’t make the list at all (we’ll get to the Brooklyn Nets’ newfangled abomination later). San Francisco on the front is a nice touch and I enjoy a good bold, block lettering for the numbers. The throwback to the team’s SF roots works, especially with the colors that span the entire jersey. They’re fine. I don’t know what else to tell you here. BUY NOW: $110

9) Portland Trailblazers

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The reason this isn’t higher is that it’s a straight replication of the squad’s 1977 uniforms, but they look fantastic. Rankings are arbitrary. Don’t fret. I’m always a fan of anything that reminds me of Bill Walton’s late-70s hair and this is as good a reason as any to post it.

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Thank you for your service, Bill.

8) Indiana Pacers

It seems like the Pacers are always the forgotten team in the East, especially when Oladipo’s sidelined, yet I feel like we’re all sleeping on the consistency of the team and this jersey. This Statement jersey has a random blue stripe leading into what seems to be a spider-web (?), but although I’m not totally sure what Nike’s going for, it works for me. Also, as far as ads go, the Motorola one is intrusive. At least it’s not a dating app insignia, which brings me to the...

7) Los Angeles Clippers

Twitter’s still in its initial reactions to this jersey, which ranges from the incredible to garbage (incidentally a good summation of Twitter), but I have to say that I like these video game inspired black-and-white kits. The font is menacingly silly, which makes sense for the second most popular team in LA that also may have two of the top ten players in the league. Nothing about the Clippers makes sense, except that they’re very good at basketball and their jerseys are nonsensical. That’s the way it should be.

6) Milwaukee Bucks

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The symmetry of this one is crucial. The Bucks' logo always works wonders and the blue, green, white and beige stripes behind the deer are a beautiful finishing touch on a clean, fun jersey. We're gonna see this team and Giannis Antetokounmpo a lot this year. Glad we don't have to look at terrible uniforms the entire time.

5) Cleveland Cavaliers

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Another throwback, this time to 1994-95, the Cavaliers may well be terrible this season, but at least they’ll look good doing it. The off-kilter orange text is stylish next to the light blue midriff section. Also, like the Pacers’ Motorola sponsor, the Goodyear one for Cleveland works as a concept. I’m always pro a reference to a mythological Greek God on basketball uniforms. BUY NOW: $110

4) Philadelphia 76ers

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Writing out the word “Seventy” seems so inconsequential, yet it may be the best move by Nike this year. Another throwback to the 70s, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons pull off these jerseys. It just all looks right. Whether Kyle O’ Quinn can or not, we’re still waiting to see. If Simmons is nailing three-pointers in this jersey, the Sixers are the team to beat in the East. BUY NOW: $110

3) Memphis Grizzlies

With Mike Conley on the roster, the Grizzlies are going to be intimidating as hell in the west. It only makes sense that we get to roll out their historical teal unis. Both of these kits are picture-perfect and the Vancouver text on the light blue makes me want to buy one immediately.

2) Utah Jazz

One of the best jerseys in history (the best is the Raptors’ with a raptor, no arguments allowed), the purple Jazz top with the mountain range behind the team name and the player number is returning at the perfect time. I mean, look at the beautiful highlighting of the bold number on the back of the uniform. Gaze in wonder at the best shade of purple to ever grace a basketball court. These are winners, but not the ultimate winner. That would be the...

1) Sacramento Kings

This is a big year for the Kings. A potential playoff team, a young star point guard in De'Aaron Fox and the best new NBA jerseys. I’m a sucker for light blue, but even with that advantage, these are gorgeous. The light reddish/orange lining around the white numbers and the crown over the “i” are so simply done, yet they work wonders for these dynamite Sacramento kits. Finally, Sacramento has won something. Congrats, Vlade Divac.

P.S.

30) Brooklyn Nets

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The Nets gained Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and lost the respect of their opponents with these new gray jerseys. A Comic-Sans knockoff that's supposed to look like grafitti, but is more recognizable as an NBA 2K create-a-jersey replica, everything about this uni is off. The "infor" brand box in the top corner is hideous and the look of the numbers doesn't match what's right above it.

Not every jersey for the upcoming season has been announced yet, but I'd be hard-pressed to find something worse than this.

On a more positive note, at least you're not the New York Knicks.