NBA City Edition jerseys, ranked by my kids

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Image for article titled I’m old, so I made my kids help me rank this year’s NBA City Edition jerseys — Illustration: NBA

The new NBA City Edition jerseys are out, with 28 new looks heading to the hardwood while the Jazz and Suns run it back with last season’s getups. Last year, Deadspin ranked Utah’s at No. 8 among the City Editions, and Phoenix at No. 23. Maybe it was the run to the NBA Finals, but those Suns “Valley” jerseys really grew on me the more I got to see them.

At least, looking at this year’s City Editions, the Suns are one of the more enjoyable ones. But I’m not going to rank them again. Instead, this time around, I’m enlisting some help, and changing the format of the City Edition review, because it’s not just about what I think. These jerseys should have broader appeal than some 40-year-old dude in New York who’s not going to wear any of them.

So, we’re bringing in the kids. Alice is 8, Sean is 6, and together with their 40-year-old dad, we’ve drafted the best… and worst of the 2021-22 City Edition jerseys.

As the youngest, Sean gets first pick.

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The Best - 1. Sean: Phoenix Suns

I like the sunset on it. I really like how they wrote the lettering on the sunset. I give it a five-star review!

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2. Alice: Orlando Magic

It looks like there are fireworks on it, and the lettering has those stars.

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3. Jesse: Philadelphia 76ers

Growing up, the Spectrum’s center court was my favorite one to see on TV, although most memorably for a college game — Duke-Kentucky and the Laettner Game. I love the homage here.

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4. Sean: Utah Jazz

It has a very pretty sunset like the other one, the Suns.

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5. Alice: Charlotte Hornets

The jersey looks like it’s gently fading. I like the pattern at the top.

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6. Jesse: Boston Celtics

It looks like a lot of Celtics jerseys, which it should, but with a throwback vibe, and the use of white to make the drop shadow is excellent.

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7. Sean: San Antonio Spurs

I like how their colors look like the Dolphins.

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8. Alice: Los Angeles Lakers

I like the purplieness. The number is sort of 3D.

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9. Jesse: Toronto Raptors

I can’t believe I’m getting this over the dinosaur lovers, but Alice thinks it should be a brachiosaurus instead of a raptor, even though they’re not the Toronto Brachiosauruses. “Brachiosauruses are always better,” she says.

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10. Sean: Atlanta Hawks

I like how those stripes look like flames and the hawk is carrying a basketball and how it changes over the hawk and under the hawk.

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11. Alice: Miami Heat

The lettering looks cool. It’s kind of 3D and they’re all different colors.

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12. Jesse: Denver Nuggets

Maybe I just like rainbows? Well, I love the old rainbow Nuggets jerseys, and this is worlds better than last year’s Jazz knockoffs, plus the classic Nuggets font is so much better than their usual.

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13. Sean: Milwaukee Bucks

I like the streak on the side. I did not think this would end up in mine. I thought Alice would take it for the purple. I like the Bucks.

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14. Alice: Los Angeles Clippers

I very much like the color scheme.

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15. Jesse: Brooklyn Nets

As much as I liked last year’s sky blues, these are a step forward, with the inclusion of the red stripe and stars as an homage to the excellent old-school New Jersey uniforms, while keeping the latter-day Nets font.

Moving on to the worst of the bunch...

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The Worst - 1. Alice: Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s just plain white. They should’ve put rainbow on it. And lightning bolts. And seven unicorns. Or anything.

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2. Sean: New Orleans Pelicans

It’s too white. Meh.

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3. Jesse: Chicago Bulls

Yes, they evoke Michael Jordan’s rookie year uniform. The thing about those is, they always looked like they came from the back of a truck on Madison Street, and this follows in that tradition, right down to the awful spacing between the too-small script and the number.

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4. Alice: Washington Wizards

I don’t think red and blue go well together. It would’ve been better with bubbling cauldrons, for the Wizards. This, for the Wizards? Whee.

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5. Sean: Sacramento Kings

It’s too much black. Otherwise, it’s just a regular professional basketball jersey.

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6. Jesse: Indiana Pacers

I get what they’re going for here with the throwback font and the pattern evoking a racetrack, but it comes off looking very mid-1990s Cleveland Cavaliers.

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7. Alice: Golden State Warriors

Super boring. I’m like, “This? For fighting? Couldn’t you put more Warriors kind of stuff on it?”

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8. Sean: New York Knicks

Again, too much black!

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9. Jesse: Cleveland Cavaliers

That logo is way too intricate to be on a jersey. Logos don’t really look great on basketball jerseys to begin with. Put it on a hoodie.

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10. Alice: Minnesota Timberwolves

There should be a wolf howling there. Or a wolf chasing down a rabbit.

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11. Sean: Memphis Grizzlies

Too much navy blue and nothing else. It’s boring.

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12. Jesse: Portland Trail Blazers

Do we really need to try to make Rip City happen so often on these jerseys? The clash between the old school font and the more modern numbering doesn’t work.

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13. Alice: Houston Rockets

I don’t like stripes.

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14. Sean: Dallas Mavericks

Too much white.

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15. Jesse: Detroit Pistons

This feels like it makes sense as the last pick because it’s not terrible, and not good. It’s a pretty normal jersey, just a color flip from the Pistons as we normally know them. It’s fine.

I’m old, so I made my kids help me rank this year’s NBA City Edition jerseys

Suns, Mavericks uniforms shine while Pelicans get a big ol’ ‘meh’

The Best - 1. Sean: Phoenix Suns

The Best - 1. Sean: Phoenix Suns

2. Alice: Orlando Magic

2. Alice: Orlando Magic

3. Jesse: Philadelphia 76ers

3. Jesse: Philadelphia 76ers

4. Sean: Utah Jazz

4. Sean: Utah Jazz

5. Alice: Charlotte Hornets

5. Alice: Charlotte Hornets

6. Jesse: Boston Celtics

6. Jesse: Boston Celtics

7. Sean: San Antonio Spurs

7. Sean: San Antonio Spurs

8. Alice: Los Angeles Lakers

8. Alice: Los Angeles Lakers

9. Jesse: Toronto Raptors

9. Jesse: Toronto Raptors

10. Sean: Atlanta Hawks

10. Sean: Atlanta Hawks

11. Alice: Miami Heat

11. Alice: Miami Heat

12. Jesse: Denver Nuggets

12. Jesse: Denver Nuggets

13. Sean: Milwaukee Bucks

13. Sean: Milwaukee Bucks

14. Alice: Los Angeles Clippers

14. Alice: Los Angeles Clippers

15. Jesse: Brooklyn Nets

15. Jesse: Brooklyn Nets

The Worst - 1. Alice: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Worst - 1. Alice: Oklahoma City Thunder

2. Sean: New Orleans Pelicans

2. Sean: New Orleans Pelicans

3. Jesse: Chicago Bulls

3. Jesse: Chicago Bulls

4. Alice: Washington Wizards

4. Alice: Washington Wizards

5. Sean: Sacramento Kings

5. Sean: Sacramento Kings

6. Jesse: Indiana Pacers

6. Jesse: Indiana Pacers

7. Alice: Golden State Warriors

7. Alice: Golden State Warriors

8. Sean: New York Knicks

8. Sean: New York Knicks

9. Jesse: Cleveland Cavaliers

9. Jesse: Cleveland Cavaliers

10. Alice: Minnesota Timberwolves

10. Alice: Minnesota Timberwolves

11. Sean: Memphis Grizzlies

11. Sean: Memphis Grizzlies

12. Jesse: Portland Trail Blazers

12. Jesse: Portland Trail Blazers

13. Alice: Houston Rockets

13. Alice: Houston Rockets

14. Sean: Dallas Mavericks

14. Sean: Dallas Mavericks

15. Jesse: Detroit Pistons

15. Jesse: Detroit Pistons