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Kyrie Irving once said that “basketball isn’t a game; it’s an art form.” This belief obviously demonstrates how players operate on the court, but it goes even deeper, as NBA players need to look the part. This extends to the apparel they wear on the court. The NBA has officially released the City Edition jerseys for all 30 teams. These alternate uniforms are supposed to stand out compared to the day-to-day jerseys that every team wears while simultaneously reflecting the roots of the cities in which each team plays. So, who hit the mark with their City Edition jerseys this year, and which franchises fell short? Note: Every NBA City Edition Jersey can be found here. 30. New York Knicks If the New York Knicks’ regular jerseys were put side-by-side with their City Edition jerseys, the average fan probably wouldn’t be able to decipher which is which. That defeats the purpose of the entire idea. 29. Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks City Edition jerseys are overly simple and something that fans have already seen before. These jerseys were originally debuted in 2019-20. 28. Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz have historically had some of the best jerseys in the NBA. They missed the mark this year. The should-be iconic stripe pattern is almost unrecognizable because each layer is dark blue. Utah needs to give the fans mountains and vibrant colors, as they’ve done in the past. 27. Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets’ “H-Town” jerseys are another example of a jersey that didn’t need a repeat. The H-Town and number font is cool, and that is about it. 26. Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons could have done so much more with their City Edition jerseys. These jerseys do combine the past and the present quite well, and they aren’t ugly, but they leave a little something to be desired, considering what fans have gotten from Detroit before. 25. New Orleans Pelicans Stephen Lew-Imagn Images The idea behind the New Orleans Pelicans’ City Edition jersey is that magic and mystery meets the illumination of New Orleans’ nightlife. These jerseys show that, but there could have been a little bit more to them. Even so, the “NOLA” print does give off a haunted vibe. 24. Los Angeles Lakers “Los Angeles Lakers” being spelled out in a pyramid-like way is cool. Besides that, there isn’t much to these City Edition jerseys, which is unfortunate because there is a lot of potential with purple and gold. 23. Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending champions, and they’ve looked near unbeatable so far during the 2025-26 season. They could have looked a little better doing the dominating, though, as their City Edition jerseys are pretty mediocre. The jersey is split in two different colors in a diagonal manner, which is unique, but there isn’t enough contrast to be able to notice at first glance, so the best part of these jerseys might not be something that the naked eye can see on screen. 22. Philadelphia 76ers The idea behind the Philadelphia 76ers’ City Edition jerseys representing the crack in the Liberty Bell is cool. It plays a little bit better in theory than in practice, though. 21. Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves’ purple jerseys, inspired by Prince, are super polarizing. Some fans love them, and some fans hate them, but they end up in the middle-to-late section of this ranking. 20. Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers’ history extends back to Buffalo, New York, and San Diego, California, before the team found a permanent home in LA. The team’s City Edition jerseys take fans through a historic tour of the team’s history. 19. Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are again using their Peachtree City Edition jerseys. The peach-colored stripe is the best part of the jerseys, and it really stands out alongside the base color of black. 18. Portland Trail Blazers The giant teal stripe, which is meant to represent the PDX Airport runways, really catches the eye when it comes to the Portland Trail Blazers jerseys. There isn’t much else to write home about, but the teal stripe certainly pops. 17. Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are in a tier, along with a few jerseys to come, of teams that either repeated a previous jersey or used a design eerily similar to a City Edition of the past that. While these are awesome jerseys, they were better the first go around. Everybody loves the Biggie Smalls camo print, but it is a little bit of a been there, done that situation that results in Brooklyn’s jerseys ranking in the middle of this list. 16. San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs fiesta colorway is classic. The 2025-26 City Edition jerseys aren’t the most colorful or vibrant in the history of this theme, but they combine the fiesta idea with the iconic black quite well. 15. Orlando Magic Orlando Magic jerseys and an outer space theme with tons of stars go together like two peas in a pod. The Magic were smart to use white as the base, rather than blue or black like fans have seen before. 14. Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns’ “Valley” jerseys are back. The blocky skyline pattern was a huge hit when these jerseys first debuted, and the design still works quite well. 13. Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls’ jerseys are inspired by the city’s flag. The faint blue inside of red outlining on the numbers/name plate gives great contrast to the predominantly black jerseys. Of course, the four stars on the side of the jersey are also iconic. 12. Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors’ throwback jerseys are among the best in NBA history. This year, the team perfectly combines their jerseys of old with the modern aesthetic. The new school Dino jerseys aren’t quite as great as they were back in the ’90s, but they are still pretty dang good. 11. Denver Nuggets City Edition means skyline for the Denver Nuggets. Of all of the skyline color combinations the team has used, the black base is perhaps the biggest fan favorite. Denver is going back to the 2019-20 iteration of the jerseys this year. They are still pleasing to the eye, but the Nuggets have enough color possibilities that it would have been nice to see them try something else while still using the skyline concept. 10. Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks just fired Nico Harrison, in large part because fans were not happy about the former general manager’s decision to trade Luka Doncic. At least they have some pretty sweet jerseys to look forward to seeing in action, though. Dark blue wings are flared out across the side of the jerseys to represent Dallas’s nickname: Pegasus City. 9. Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the teams that went against the status quo and instead swung for the fences. These jerseys use a vibrant orange to represent the Cleveland sunsets and sunrises. It may not be the Cavaliers’ normal colorway, but the gamble paid off with one of the more memorable jerseys of this year’s City Edition line. 8. Sacramento Kings “The Beam” has taken over Sacramento sports in recent years, and now the Kings are displaying that illumination on their City Edition jerseys. The pinkish white trim contrasts perfectly against the dark purple base. 7. Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the teams that consistently nails the City Edition concept. The white jersey with light blue vertical stripes isn’t too crazy, but the simplicity works incredibly well with the eye-popping side stripe that is filled with different shapes and sizes. The Grizzlies’ jerseys take inspiration from Tennessee’s music culture. 6. Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors City Edition jerseys use soft colors, including cream, a dark brown, and a faint yellow. It almost makes the jerseys appear as if they are from a black-and-white film. The Oakland Oak Tree works perfectly with this combination of colors. 5. Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics far too often use boring and bland jerseys that make it seem as though the team is stuck in the glory days of the ’60s and ’80s, when Bill Russell or Larry Bird was winning championships. Because of that, it came as a breath of fresh air that the team took a little bit of a chance with this year’s jerseys. The white with gold was a big change that really stands out. The jerseys are still able to pay respect to the team’s history, too, as the gold is supposed to represent Boston’s championship ways. 4. Miami Heat Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images The Miami Heat have used the Vice City colorway of black, pink, and baby blue before. The lack of originality is the only thing holding the Heat back in these rankings, but nobody is complaining that the Heat are bringing back their original Vice Nights jerseys. These jerseys are quite simply some of the best in NBA history. The three-dimensional lettering, in particular, is absolutely iconic, and pink on a jersey is something that nobody forgets. 3. Charlotte Hornets The City Edition jerseys are all about taking a chance, and the Charlotte Hornets certainly gambled with bright, vibrant colors that are nowhere close to their normal colorway, which is a colorway that is already a league favorite. It worked, too, as the orange base that fades into more of a yellow makes Charlotte’s jerseys some of the most notable this year. The team always does great with pinstripes, and that was evident again here. 2. Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers jerseys are straight out of the NBA’s early days, and it is awesome. The blue, yellow, and white all seem old school, but the asymmetrical way they are displayed over the jersey brings a touch of modernism. The Pacers’ name plate could remind one of the team’s namesake, as the team was based off pacer cars in NASCAR and the Indianapolis 500. 1. Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards’ City Edition jerseys are a perfect blend of a unique colorway that fans aren’t used to and throwbacks that bring nostalgia. Golden brown is not a color that fans see often, so these jerseys will really pop on the court. They also bring fans back to a simpler time when Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison were doing their thing. To take it a step further, the double stripe pattern across the chest plate is reminiscent of the Washington Bullets’ jerseys from back in the ’70s and ’80s.
