NBA’s 2021-22 City Edition Uniforms Mostly Impressive

Which 2021-22 NBA City Edition uniforms do I enjoy the most, and which ones should go back to the drawing board?

After months of leaks, the NBA and Nike officially unveiled the designs for the 2021-22 City Edition uniforms this morning. Unlike previous seasons, these jerseys serve a different purpose than highlighting aspects of the team’s home city. In light of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary, this year’s batch instead focuses on serving as a “mixtape” of different eras in the respective franchise’s uniform history.

28 uniforms were unveiled today under the “mixtape” premise. The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz are the exceptions, both opting to stick with the City uniforms they wore last season. This makes sense for both teams, as the Jazz’s City uniforms are widely popular, and the Suns wore their “Valley” unis all the way to the NBA Finals.

For the most part, I love almost every team’s design. They surpass the 2018-19 jerseys as my favorite class of City uniforms. It would honestly be easier for me to point the ones I’m not a fan of.

If I had to pick a favorite, I think I would go with the San Antonio Spurs. While I understand that black and silver are crucial to the team’s identity, I love when the team leans into their vibrant fiesta colors for their alternate uniforms. Their 2020-21 uniforms were great for that, and I’m so glad they pushed the envelope even further for 2022.

The Charlotte Hornets are a close second for me. I’m really feeling the hive gradient mixed with the iconic pinstripes. From there, the Hawks, Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Knicks, and 76ers are also in that high tier of breathtaking awesomeness. The rest, with three exceptions, fall into the pool of “solidly impressive”.

New Orleans is the first exception. I think they whiffed on which New Orleans Hornets jersey to emulate. While not explicit in the ad copy, it seems the team turned to the style they wore from 2002-03 through 2007-08 instead of the more stylish kit they rocked from 2008-09 through 2012-13. While the franchise did see more success in those mid-2000’s threads, I think the teal, purple, and gold colors are what made those unis pop. The Pelicans’ current navy, red, and gold color scheme is great, too, but combining it with that uniform equals something that comes out looking basic.

Oklahoma City is second, and this is a case of a missed opportunity. The design and the thought behind is actually fantastic! I just wish they would have colored it in. This uniform would have truly popped if they found a way to incorporate their patented orange and the various hues of blue they’ve used over their 14 seasons in the Sooner State. I can see it in the design, if they added some actual color, this would have been one of my favorites.

Lastly, there’s the Miami Heat. These are the only jerseys I outright dislike. The jersey’s design is bland and the font looks like a ransom note. It’s a real shame that the franchise that brought us the iconic Vice jerseys could whiff like this. The Heat have had a lot of great uniforms during their history. I wish they would have gone a different route with attempting to incorporate all of them.

What do you think about the 2021-22 NBA City Edition uniforms. Love them? Hate them? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @CrucialBaskets!