Throughout the fall, City Edition uniforms for the upcoming 2020-21 season have leaked mostly through social media and eventually confirmed by the teams themselves.
Many sites have already done similar rankings, KACMEDIA does the same, with brief synopsis. Also, for the sake of not cluttering the article with photos, I will mostly provide links. 30. New York Knicks - The Knicks cannot even get City Edition threads right. It borrows off the subway token. Aren't there some contact-free ways to pay for public transportation these days?
29. Detroit Pistons - Blue, red, gray and boring. Maybe if they can dig out the circa 1978 Dick Vitale design.
28. Cleveland Cavaliers - The design itself is clean, and the lettering a nod to the Rock and Roll industry. But the end result is already devisely known as the 'ransom note' uniform. It is a big lake out there, would hate to have anything bad happen:)
27. New Orleans Pelicans - Deadspin actually has this near the top, most others right around here. Liked their effort incorporating the Mardi Gras colors in past years. 26. Oklahoma City Thunder - The 2019 edition honored the state's indigenous heritage while last year honored survivors and victims of the 1995 Murrah Federal Building bombing. This year's look comes out NASCAR'ish.
25. Washington Wizards - Mostly gray, not much different than their other uniforms. 24. Dallas Mavericks - I started off hating last years gradient blue look, ended up loving it. This year it is mostly gold and gray, something about Pegasus, a bright future and the franchises 40th anniversary. Save the gold for the 50th.
23. Boston Celtics - After going the Shamrock Series route last year, the Celtics City Edition is based on the title banners. The front is crowded, but works for Tacko Fall.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves - The T-Wolves have done some sweet throwbacks/City Editions - the Prince-themed purples and outstanding powder blues worn last year are examples. This year falls flat, the neon North Star a nice touch, but one of way too many teams that opted for black.
21. Denver Nuggets - After awesome retro skyline designs rendered in white and then black, the Nuggets turn to red and orange, basically copying the Utah Jazz City look. '5280' makes an appearance, they could run with '420' as well - but save that for when Seattle returns to the league.
20. Los Angeles Clippers - Like last year's 'newspaper look', this time in black, black and white and read all over.
19. Orlando Magic - Last year introduced orange into the color scheme, paired with a primary off-black color. This year it is a white jersey orange trim and pinstripes plus other elements of the original logo.
18. Sacramento Kings - One of my favorites in past years because I am a sucker for powder blue and red. Those colors remain, but as trim on a black jersey.
17. Toronto Raptors - Not a huge fan of black and gold, but like the claw marks on the shorts. They did away with 'North' (reminded me of a high school jersey) but 'Toronto' will look awkward considering the team will likely play the entire home schedule in Tampa.
16. Los Angeles Lakers - Very nice mid-1960's blue and silver look. That said, why would you want to look like the Detroit Lions, even for just one day?
15. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks finally turn to blue after using blue and green on last year's Cream City edition. These have been widely panned but I hold out hope, the numbers are supposed to feature a 'wet' look. Have to see it in actual games.
14. Portland Trail Blazers - The 'Oregon' edition honors local tribal nations and the state's topologic features. It's good, different than playing off 'Rip City' or the 45 degree latitude.
13. Chicago Bulls - Like the more I see, a nod to Chicago's Art Deco architecture.
12. Phoenix Suns - My first observation - the Veterans Memorial Coliseum still stands? Where the roof leaked and tiles fell during games? The colors and design are nice but the finished product reminds me too much of the Jazz, Nuggets and lesser extent Blazers. 'The Valley' moniker seems like something Fresno State would pull for a one-off.
11. Utah Jazz - Ran with the popular Mars surface look for three years, now inverts to a mostly black version.
10. Philadelphia 76ers - This gets mixed reviews, but like the black jersey since the penmanship, 'Phila' and 13 stars had already run its course. Nice how they worked 'TTP' into the waterfront design.
9. Golden State Warriors - The GSW has done numerous great designs in recent years. This year's city edition features the 2007 'We Believe' template with 'Oakland' instead of 'Warriors'.
8. Atlanta Hawks - The design does not score with creativity, but obviously Atlanta cannot go wrong honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. Like other City themes, this also goes with its own court design.
7. Indiana Pacers - Love blue and gold and the 'Hickory' themed jerseys of recent years are out. Basically the Reggie Miller/Ron Artest era pinstriped design rendered in a slightly lighter blue.
6. Brooklyn Nets - Full disclosure, live in Nebraska and Brooklyn culture not my wheelhouse, the idea is to appreciate the concept. This years edition honors 1970s-1980s artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
5. Charlotte Hornets - I despise the Hornets traditional colors of surgical scrub teal and purple. However this years City Edition of 'mint' (like seaform green) and gold is a hit.
4. Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies continue to strike gold, literally. Two years ago the City Edition paid tribute to the mid-South's pro wrestling heritage. Last year it was sweet Vancouver throwbacks. The Vancouver turquoise remains as an accent as the Grizzlies honor the legacy of Stax Records and songwriter/composer Isaac Hayes.
3. San Antonio Spurs - Have always liked the Spurs uniforms in general, cannot go wrong with silver and black and the numbers and nameplates basic. In recent years the Spurs honored the military with camouflage designs. But the wishes of many fans come true this year as the 1990s-era fiesta colors finally make its way onto the actual game threads.
2. Houston Rockets - At first glance I wondered what obsessed the Rockets to go with powder blue, then realized the Houston Oilers angle. Can easily see others doing NFL crossovers - Mavericks in Cowboys colors? Nuggets in Broncos blue and orange? Bucks pairing their hunter green with gold? Do it!
1. Miami Heat - One ranking actually had what is billed as the last of the 'Miami Vice' series near the bottom. Had to be Paul Lukas's cousin. It is gradient fuchsia to powder blue and it is glorious. And like Star Wars, this cannot be the end of the Vice concept - time to make it the primary look!