Go beyond the scoreboard
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We could all use some fun these days. It’s still 2020, right?
You know what’s usually a lot fun? The NBA’s City Edition uniforms.
Also super fun — ranking things!
Somehow, 2020 has not taken either of those things away from us.
All of the league’s teams, except for the New York Knicks, have revealed their City Edition uniforms ahead of the start of the season later this month.
The Clippers announced the release of new City Edition uniforms by artist Mister Cartoon, who will also provide instruction through “Make Your Mark” Zoom classes.
Some of the jerseys are more fun than others. Some are cooler than others. Some are definitely better looking than others. While it’s not nice to judge people by such standards, jerseys don’t have feelings.
So let’s rank them based on how cool they look and how fun they’d be to wear, rather than the inspiration behind the designs or anything like that.
One more thing — all of the jerseys were created by talented people. This is all meant to be in good fun and not to offend anyone.
All good? Great, because these shirts aren’t going to rank themselves ...
Pretty sure the Suns didn’t want to conjure memories of Atari’s Super Breakout. Or that the Heat wanted something even Don Johnson wouldn’t have wanted to wear on the set of “Miami Vice.” But that’s what ended up happening, and that’s why only super fans will want to be seen with this group.
29. Phoenix Suns
28. Oklahoma City Thunder
27. Miami Heat
26. Charlotte Hornets
These jerseys are not embarrassments. But they are definitely not fun. (The Hawks get bonus points for using “MLK” in place of the team name or cute nickname.)
25. Detroit Pistons
24. Boston Celtics
23. Houston Rockets
22. Indiana Pacers
21. Atlanta Hawks
This is a group that is ready to party. They might be a bit unrefined and over the top, but a good time is all but guaranteed.
The one sophisticated exception within this category is the Pelicans uniform. But, hey, every party needs a snob standing back and judging everyone, right?
20. Philadelphia 76ers
19. Orlando Magic
18. New Orleans Pelicans
17. Cleveland Cavaliers
16. San Antonio Spurs
15. Memphis Grizzlies
14. Portland Trail Blazers
These jerseys might not be super fun, but they look gooooooood. They definitely sit with the popular crowd at lunch.
13. Sacramento Kings
12. Lakers
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Golden State Warriors
No labels apply to these free-thinkers. Just sit back and enjoy their company.
8. Washington Wizards
7. Clippers
6. Dallas Mavericks
5. Denver Nuggets
4. Utah Jazz
Here we are with the coolest of the cool and the funnest of the fun. Really tough to decide between these sleek, clever designs. The Raptors’ gold trim is fantastic. The Nets’ tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat is almost perfect. But the Bulls earn the crown with a spectacular jersey that uses a sweet font reminiscent of the old school “CBS Special Presentation” intro. Well done.
3. Toronto Raptors
2. Brooklyn Nets
1. Chicago Bulls
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.