Grading the 2019-20 NBA City Uniforms

In the modern era, particularly the Nike era, the Holidays have been about merchandise sales for the NBA. What better to way to introduce a new line of jerseys, shorts, hats, t-shirts, and sweatshirts (and anything else you can print a logo on) than a new line of uniforms. the 2019/20 "City" uniforms will be the 7th round since Nike took over. IMH's own Jake Klein and Patrick Dallahan graded all 30.

Portland

Klein: This will be the 6th “Rip City” jersey for Portland since 2012, and it’s easily the best. Cream is rarely used properly in the NBA, but the Blazers nailed it here. The piping, the modified wordmark, and the block numerals make this the perfect old school vibe, something that Portland has done very well in recent years. A

Dallahan: These uniforms are so clean. I’ve loved every Blazers uniform they’ve had since 2015 and these ones continue my love for the Ripcity. Grade: Solid A

Chicago

Klein: Perhaps no team has taken the idea of a “City” uniform in stride more than the Bulls. After a beautiful uniform in ‘17 and a less beautiful one in ‘18 each took elements, including powder blue, from the Chicago flag, the team sucked it up and went all blue this year. They crushed it. I love the boldness of the logo, and the six-pointed stars (just like on the flag). They even included the perfect amount of red and white to offset the heavy dose of blue. A-

Dallahan: Da Bulls have a pretty cool dynamic going on here. I’m a big fan of powder blue uniforms, and the red really contrast from it. Makes both colors pop. I also love how the actual bull is on the front. Grade: A/A-

Cleveland

Klein: The Cavs took a very unique approach at this uniform, mashing the components of almost all of their past uniforms into one. The result is actually kind of beautiful. The side panels and wordmark are absolutely fantastic, and it’s nice to see them change pace and go back to a navy uniform, something I think they’ve done fairly well in the past. My one complaint here is that the numeral font was clearly forced in to include an element from the 1997-99, so it doesn’t really fit in. A-

Dallahan: This looks like the brainchild of every Cavaliers uniform ever, and I kinda dig it. These unis give me major flashbacks to the days of Lebron James flying high above the rim and Zydrunas Ilgauskas standing there being bald. The good old days. Grade: B+

Memphis*

Klein: When you think of great retro ‘90s uniforms, you think of the Raptors’ dino look and you think of these. That said, I’m hesitant to even count this because even though the Grizzlies are wearing this as their “City” edition, it’s really a throwback uniform.

Dallahan: As a big fan of retro uniforms, these uniforms make me very happy. It screams creativity with a bit of nostalgia. Grade: A+

Minnesota

Klein: The colors here don’t really have any connection to the team or city, but they work. I don’t like the wordmark on the shorts, but other than that, it’s a nice balance between simple and busy. Also a bit of an oddity is the fact that MSP is a dual-city airport code (Minneapolis-St. Paul) appearing on the “City” uniform for a team whose name represents the whole state. A-/B+

Dallahan: These uniforms are so clean. As I mentioned before, I love powder blue. This uniform has plenty of that. The “MSP” on the front stand for “Minneapolis St. Paul”. They could have used SPAM, but MSP works, too. Grade: A-

Indiana

Klein: Essentially a cleaner version of last year’s navy blue alternate, the Pacers hit the jackpot this time. I’ll always prefer a white uniform over a dark one in the NBA, and it allows the design to stand out more. The circle around the number and discreet checkered pattern are really nice touches that carry over from the ‘18 uniform. Their add patch, which is already one of the worst-looking in the league, sits right on the line between the white and blue sections, which is the lone eye-sore on an otherwise impeccable uniform. A-/B+

Dallahan: The Indiana Pacers have by far the most creative look out of this list. The checkered pattern on the blue stripe pays homage to the Indianapolis 500 at the Brickyard, which was a very creative touch. A-

Sacramento

Klein: Normally, I discredit teams who create alternates using non-team colors, but the Kings took a former color way and used it to add a second identity and because they’ve stuck with it for over three years now, I’m on board. I preferred the “Sactown” wordmark on last year’s light blue uniform over the alternate logo on the ‘17 one, but I’d still rather “Sacramento.” Either way, the red is a really nice way to continue that alternate identity. As the Kings and Bulls have proven, this is a color set that can work, and I’m excited to see how red as the primary color works with the light blue. B+

Dallahan: I do love the fact that the Kings brought back the color scheme of when Big O and the rest of the gang were in Rochester, but I don’t really love the format. They’ve had similar uniforms used like this in the past. I do think that it will still look good, mainly because it’s a very sleek design, but it doesn’t suit my eye. Grade: B

Philadelphia

Klein: Yet again, we see a near-perfect use of cream, and perhaps no team is more deserving of being able to use it than Philadelphia. Sticking with their beautiful script wordmark font and the simple “76” logo on the shorts, the Sixers have almost hit the nail of the Declaration of Independence look on the head. My one quibble here is the numeral font, which is a bit too skimpy and weak-looking for my liking. They should’ve stuck with their traditional block font, or matched the font on the shorts logo, either one of which would’ve been the difference- maker for this uniform. B+

Dallahan: Although a downgrade from last year’s glorious Rocky-themed threads, these are very solid uniforms. They ditched the boxy 3D faunt, which adds an old look to it. The cream-white also looks good. Very similar to 2017-18 City Jerseys. Grade: A-/B+

Boston

Klein: Considering the flak it’s taken since it was leaked in October on Enes Kanter’s garbage-quality phone camera, this is a really nice looking uniform. Save for their sort-of-annual St. Patrick’s Day alternates, this is the first time the Celtics have experimented with green and gold and they did a great job. It’s also the first time they’ve tried anything - literally anything - other than their normal block font. It’s not a perfect wordmark (see: “T”), but it’s pretty good. Clearly, this uniform is supposed to represent Boston’s Irish population (they’re called the “Celtics,” after all), and it does a fine job of that. B+/B

Dallahan: The only complaint with this is the letter “T”. It looks like a C or a backward J. The color scheme is phenomenal. Look’s like something from Bleacher Report’s “Game Of Zones”. Grade: A-/B+

Milwaukee

Klein: Here’s a much worse example of the use of cream. It’s not really bad, it just lacks a ton of character. I like the wordmark, which is clearly based on the Milwaukee power tools logo. The one thing I’d change here is that the Bucks continue to try and make blue a part of their colorway. They are not a blue team. If anything, that should be red. B

Dallahan: The shorts make this uniform to me. I do not understand why Milwaukee is called “Cream City”. (edit: it comes from a brand of bricks used to build buildings in MKE in the 19th century.) I love the outline of Wisconsin on the front of the elastic and I especially love the use of blue in this uniform as a whole. The bucks have made this weird green and blue combo work. Way to go, Giannis! Grade: B+/B

Utah

Klein: The Jazz have earned the distinction of being the only team who will wear the same “City” edition three years in a row, and they’re really taking the saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to heart. It’ll be the final season of this sunrise look, but it remains a very solid look for the Jazz, who’ve done a nice job creating a sort of second identity with this theme. B

Dallahan: I have no clue why the Jazz are using orange and red as the colors for their city uniforms. It makes zero sense to me. Grade: C

Brooklyn

Klein: Brooklyn took their middle-of-the-road City uniform from last season and made it white, which is almost always an upgrade from a black basketball uniforms. They also made a drastic change to the wordmark, opting for a graffiti-style “Bed-Stuy” mark in lieu of their standard look. Although Biggie Smalls (whom the uniform’s trim patterned is modeled after) was from the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn, this “City” jersey is a bit too neighboorhood-specific to truly fit the bill. B-

Dallahan: The Nets are only this high purely because of the B.I.G. That is all. A

Miami

Klein: Miami has once again decided to counteract their ultra-dull primary set with their over-the-top “Vice” look. After cycling between white (best), pink, and black (worst) looks in past seasons, the Heat will complete the series by going with the powder blue uniforms this season. This is one of the better looks of the four, but they certainly don’t earn any points for creativity. Plus, the rear player name would look better in white. The Heat should just ditch their drab primary look and switch to the Vice uniforms full time. B-

This is an example of a bad powder blue uniform. Not the correct shade. I noticed a little bit of teal in there. Not how it’s done when you’re trying to create a powder blue uniform. It’s a different spin on the Miami Vice uniforms, though. Grade: B-

Detroit

Klein: Much like Miami, Detroit didn’t take too many liberties in designing this year’s city uniform, simply opting to take last year’s black/grey look and apply their actual team colors. It’s an improvement over last year’s look for sure, mostly because it actually looks like a Pistons jersey, but I have trouble believing that this was the best that they could do. B-/C+

Dallahan: I love these uniforms. Blake Griffin will make these uniforms look fantastic as he attempts AND makes three-pointers all around the arc. I love the blue racing stripes down the middle and the pattern on the red. It looks like there are some shiny, diagonal lines going down the jersey that make it almost shimmer. Grade: B

Washington

Klein: I think Washington got the right idea with these, as they finally put to use the stars/stripes pattern that so many college teams have used for many years. That said, these come off as too busy for my liking, with the wild side panels, contrasting neck and arm trim, and awkwardly shaped “DC” logo. I hate the use of a logo instead of a wordmark in the first place, but it truly is a killer when said logo is as bad as this one. C

Dallahan: Merica. Grade: A-

Atlanta

Klein: Utah, Miami, and Sacramento are examples of teams that have successfully carved out secondary identities through the use of alternate uniforms, and the Hawks have gone the complete opposite direction here. Their first City uniform was nice play on their black/neon colorway, but they went far away from that last year with a white/gold look and now they continue to jump aimlessly around the color wheel with this black/peach look. I hope the Hawks can settle in and create something out of this (white uniform, then orange?), but for know, I have to assume they won’t, based on the past. The only thing that keeps this is the middle of the pack is that it is one of the truest definitions of a “City” uniform that we’ve seen this season. C

Dallahan: These just aren’t that good. They tried to branch off of last year’s golden uniforms, but it didn’t work. At all. Thankfully, the hawks fun and fast play will make it so we can’t even really see them. Grade: C+/C

Los Angeles Clippers

Klein: This doesn’t exactly scream “Clippers,” but it certainly gives off enough of an LA vibe to pass it as a City uniform. The obvious issue here is that the Clippers, one of the league’s most entertaining teams, have created one of the league’s least entertaining alternate uniforms. After the colors they featured in their previous two City iterations, I was significantly disappointed with the lack of said color this year. Plus, the wordmark doesn’t match the numeral font and the asymmetrical sleeve piping is driving me nuts. C-

Dallahan: These are weird. They look something you’d see in Grand Theft Auto V. Seems like they’re inspired by San Andreas. They don’t look natural on the self-proclaimed “Fun Guy”. I’m interested to see how Chuck the Condor likes these weird threads. Grade: C+

Toronto

Klein: Not a bad attempt by the defending champs, but I feel like they missed the mark with this look. Perhaps they tried to capture some of the same magic as Cleveland, with elements of both their inaugural (and ultra-famous) “Dino” set mixed with the colors from their more recent “OvO” alternate looks. The result was what appears to be a rush-job and certainly lacks an individual identity, a problem that the Cavs’ product does not have. The Raps probably would’ve been better off going the Memphis route and wearing throwbacks as alternates. C-

Dallahan: The Raps were really trying hard to create a newer version of last year’s “North” uniforms. A really poor effort by the Lord of the 6, Aubrey Graham. They should use last year’s red “north” jersey’s again. Those were fire. Grade: C+

New Orleans

Klein: New Orleans will be the second team to rock the same “City” uniform this year as last year. The only problem, however, is that this uniform is not nearly good enough to deserve a second go-around. Considering that the whole point of the “City” campaign is to sell merchandise, I’m utterly shocked that New Orleans was too lazy to make even the slightest change. C-

Dallahan: Unoriginal. Didn’t even make a single change. Sort of speaks to the organization itself. Not very good. Grade: C

Golden State

Klein: While the Pelicans did not make the slightest change to their uniform, the Warriors did make the slightest change to their uniform. In addition to adopting their new numeral font (a standard change among all of their uniforms) they switched the side panels from white to grey and the neck trim from yellow to blue. That’s it. Unsurprisingly, they did just enough to make it unique to the point where a fan might consider buying a new one. C-/D+

Dallahan: They’ve used this template in the past, and it’s done fine, but it’s starting to get a bit old. I’m kinda tired of seeing “the Town” and “the City”. They’ve abused it a little bit. But, I do like the blue outline, so they’ll get a pass. Grade: B-

Denver

Klein: As I mentioned with Brooklyn’s uniforms, a switch from black to white is probably the single best thing you can do to an alternate uniform. Using the same logic, a switch from white to black is probably the worst thing you can do, especially when the team in question does not have black as one of its colors. The Nuggets fit that description. With their bold colors, and vibrant uniform history, Denver has so many options if they were going to play off their rainbow 80s look, which makes it especially brutal that they elected to go with black this season. D+

Dallahan: The only reason these are so high is that I love the Rocky mountains behind “Denver” on the front. Also, the rainbow really pops with the black surrounding it. Grade: B+

Los Angeles Lakers

Klein: The Lakers’ “Lore” series is a cute idea, but it has yet to produce a uniform that looks any good. There’s a reason why Shaquille O’Neal was a basketball player, not an artist and that shows here. Even though Shaq, in all likelihood, didn’t design this uniform as the Lakers claim he did, the effort that was evidently put into it has a Shaq-like feel. They changed the color of the drop shadow, added white piping, and stuck some stars onto the side panels. In addition they appear to have furthered the color of the jersey from traditional Laker gold. Essentially they made a bad take on a bad take on a good uniform. D

Dallahan: I love what Shaq did with these uniforms. As some know, the Lakers pick a legend of their franchise to design their city uniform. The stars on the side of the jersey show the numbers of retired Lakers and the white stripe on the side says “M.D.E.” which stands for “Most Dominant Ever.” Nice touch, Shaquille. Grade: A-

Phoenix

Klein: If I looked at only the shorts of this uniform without having ever seen the jersey, I would’ve guessed this was a top-10 look. Unfortunately, however, Phoenix continues to beat the dead horse with the black alternates and the “Los Suns” wordmark. Those are pretty much the only three elements of a uniform that painstakingly lacks character, which is so hard to accept considering the Suns have one of the league’s best retro looks to play off of. D

Dallahan: Black can work every once in a while for a uniform. They work in these, but not for a good reason. It represents the franchise as a whole: dark and just plain bad. Grade: C-

Oklahoma City

Klein: The premise behind this uniform is unavoidably respectable, as the Thunder elect to pay tribute to the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995, which will have been 25 years ago this April. I wouldn’t have a problem with the boring colors chosen if they had a clear resemblance to the actual event. Without any intended disrespect towards the victims of this horrible tragedy or their families, I feel like the team could have paid the same tribute with a jersey patch as opposed to the fairly ugly looking uniform they’ve presented. Also, it's interesting to see that OKC won't debut these jerseys until 1/9/2020, by far the latest of any team. D

Dallahan: These uniforms pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings. A touching sentiment. But, the uniform itself isn’t great. OKC has always been a very bright and colorful organization, and these uniforms kind of take that away. Grade: A+ for the message, B- for actual quality.

Houston

Klein: After a much-needed update to their uniforms this offseason, the Rockets have taken their space theme a bit too far. There’s no doubt that the space industry plays a huge role in Houston’s history, but between the garish font and the half-assed nickname, it’s a foolish attempt at capturing that aspect of Houston. D/D-

Dallahan: I hate these. There is way too much going on for my liking, and the attempt to make it a space suit was a backfire. Grade: D+

New York

Klein: Pretty much the same idea as New Orleans here. Strange to see a team in such a big market elect to miss out on the merchandise of the City series by re-using their uniform from last season. From a uniform-lover’s perspective it’s disappointing to see the recycling of a uniform that isn’t very good. The Knicks should’ve gone back to the NYFD uniform or at least changed the color here from dark navy to their standard royal blue. D-

Dallahan: Same as last year. The stripes are hideous. Very similar to the Knicks as a franchise! Grade: D+

Orlando

Klein: In a classic case of identity crisis, Orlando has oddly elected to wander far from their usual blue and black look, instead choosing to introduce a grey uniform with orange trim. According to the b.s. corporate speak, the color choice is meant to represent Florida’s orange-growing culture, but I’m willing to bet they were out of ideas under their identity that is well past its expiration date. In addition to the boring color and out-of-nowhere wordmark, this is a uniform that isn’t good for much besides stocking shelves in the team store. D-

Dallahan: I puked when I first saw these. I am not lying. The orange and grey looks atrocious. I can’t believe the Magic gave the green light on these uniforms. Then again, it’s the Magic. They traded Shaq. Questionable decisions are what made the Magic “magical”. Grade: F

San Antonio

Klein: The fourth and final team to recycle their uniform from last season, San Antonio’s City uniform is a visual mess. Although military plays a major role in the history of the city of San Antonio, the inaccurate color and pattern of the camo makes it hard to believe that the team was intending to honor that with this uniform. The black and grey camo also makes the black and grey logo almost impossible to make out, leaving very few aspects of the look that can be visually appreciated. The Spurs really need to consider looking at their “Fiesta” colors or modifying their standard look when designing future “City” uniforms. D-/F

Dallahan: I don’t understand why the Spurs don’t even bother creating new ones. They probably just sat there and said to themselves, “Yeah, these are good, right?” Grade: C-

Dallas

Klein: Over the course of NBA history, we’ve seen a few gradient uniforms with different twists, the Jazz City uniform uses the concept well, while the 1995-1999 Hawks struggled to nail it down. When the Mavs’ jersey first leaked, it was apparent that this would be the worst attempt of them all. Dallas laid a nice foundation to an alternate identity in 2017 when they added a neon green touch to their City look (I still wish it wasn’t black), but inexplicably went away from it last year. Now they return to it, in grand and ugly fashion with a crazy new wordmark, a confusing gradient, and two colors that don’t belong to them. The definition of a mess. At leats they don't have a sponsor patch... F

Dallahan: These looked like a toddler finger painting in kindergarten designed them. They have no identity with the city except for the old colors of the franchise. That is it. These might be some of the worst uniforms I have ever seen. Well, except for the Magic’s City edition. Grade: D-

Charlotte

Klein: The grey craze has slowly seeped throughout the uniform world, and the Hornets are the first NBA team to jump on the bandwagon. In addition to the poor color choice (yes, it’s a poor color choice, even if grey is one of the team’s colors), the “CHA” abbreviation belongs to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Charlotte’s wordmark is “CLT,” so in a batch of uniforms that lacks identity, Charlotte has managed to produce a “City” uniform that literally has the identity of a different city. F-

Dallahan: These are the most boring uniforms on this list. “I have a great idea, let’s make them grey! That represents our city perfectly!” They stink. Horrible. Grade: D