NBA teams and their jerseys: who does it best, who does it worst?

As we get ready for the opening of the 2018-19 season, one question that always rears its ugly head is the notion of team uniform colors.

But first, a segue:

To the degree that jerseys are cool and popular, is it the sport style or is it the distinctive team colors that make it cool?

I remember getting a player jersey back in high school — mine was a Grant Hill jersey when he was with the Detroit Pistons. Even though Hill was on a team I didn’t like and he wasn’t even one of my favorite players, it proved to be a great-looking jersey with a popular player’s name on the back.

Sporting News via Getty Images

And when I grew up, wearing an NBA jersey was cool in high school or if you were attending a game live. Since then, it has become its own fashion style, even with players themselves getting in on the action.

Since the new Oklahoma Thunder jersey for the upcoming season leaked out, it got me to thinking about some of the classic jerseys I’ve been a fan of.

In honor of the new uniform, I wanted to compare some of what I think are the best and worst ones out there in the modern era. The Thunder didn’t make the list, but that aqua color will spice things up.

The Classics

1. Chicago Bulls

2. Lakers

3. Celtics

My top 5

1. Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers are a classic jersey that doesn’t need to change much to remain a popular. They mostly just alternate the various black, red, and white while the design remains the same. I can still see Clyde Drexler soaring toward the rim in one of those.

Getty Images

2. Washington Wizards

This is a well balanced and colorful jersey. Everything fits in its place. Nice work designing department, but of course red, white and blue are three of the more successful color combinations in US history.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

As the Wiz demonstrate above, you can’t go wrong with that color combination. It’s suits Philly well that they chose to just write out Phila instead of the full city name.

4. Orlando Magic

They have changed quite a bit from their black and white uniforms but it sits well with me still.

5. Charlotte Hornets

I had a couple Hornets hats back in the day and loved the turquoise color. It’ just speaks youth, energy and freshness. The violet color is a nice companion to this as well. The font style could use some work, but the color scheme still makes it great.

Bottom 5

1. Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota doesn’t do anything particularly well and that includes their jerseys. And don’t even get me started on their foray into neon colors.

2. San Antonio Spurs

You can’t go wrong with the black, grey and white, but what’s going on over here? You could just make the jersey entirely black (Metalica Black album anyone) and it would look better.

3. Indiana Pacers

The colors have somewhat stayed the same but they have just veered too far from their classic look. I am all for modifying uniforms over the years, but not in the form of redesigning everything. This is at best a uniform that could pass for college ball but come on guys, this is a professional sport here.

4. Toronto Raptors

It’s just the way that the name goes across the front. In addition the font just doesn’t match. And let’s not forget about their own bad experience with camo.

5. Atlanta Hawks

A basic black uniform is always safe, but it’s just those patterns that look hideous.

My reflection that I take away from this is certain color schemes and designs just don’t go well on an NBA jersey. Basketball style is much less of a covering than all the other sports, so you don’t have a lot of space to work with. It’s best to keep to simple color schemes and if you are going to do a unique image then keep it small instead of going across the whole uniform.

What are your favorites, and which jerseys do you hate the most?