The NBA City Edition jerseys for the 2023-24 season were leaked online late Sunday evening, per Sportslogos.net. The designs might be the worst created by Nike, which took over as the NBA's official on-court apparel provider in 2017.
Leaks!! Thanks to a series of Tweets late last night from @brandon1an, we've now seen every single 2023-24 #NBA City Edition jersey well before their official unveiling dates.
— Chris Creamer | SportsLogos.Net (@sportslogosnet) October 23, 2023
Check out our breakdown of all thirty of them right now in our post here: https://t.co/5dQiXAnJKH pic.twitter.com/RN5WVjU90N
Instead of focusing on quality over quantity, Nike seems committed to introducing new uniforms for each team every season. After a while, the creative well starts to run dry for designers, who seem to have run out of ideas.
Take, for instance, the wildly popular "Vice" series of designs for the Miami Heat, which when it first came out in the 2017-18 season, featured a stunning array of gale blue, fuchsia and black. The jerseys paid homage to the popular 1980s television series "Miami Vice" that has become synonymous with the city.
Let's talk Vice!
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 18, 2020
We've introduced 4 designs of the @NBA's most popular City Edition jersey. We wanna know which has been your fav. #HEATUniRank
Since jersey designs only have a one-season lifespan, Nike modified a jersey that was already perfect in the eyes of many fans. Over the course of the five-season run of the jersey, the design worsened until it was discontinued following the 2020-21 season.
This brings us to this season's City Edition jerseys. Some are truly awful, especially the Denver Nuggets version. On the front, it features a large yellow "5280" — a reference to Denver being the Mile High City — that is just as big as the player number, which is tucked away in the top right.
Besides the obvious confusion of seeing five or six numbers on a jersey, the design lacks creativity beyond that and has a simple color scheme.
A late night Denver Nuggets city edition jersey leak? pic.twitter.com/1pXKjhJWxm
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) October 23, 2023
The Memphis Grizzlies jersey also features a questionable design. It features a plain black-and-white color scheme and an asymmetrical spelling of "MEM" using three lines for each letter. At first glance, it's difficult to tell if this jersey even belongs to the Grizzlies at all.
City Edition | Memphis Grizzlies
— Casey Vitelli (@caseyvitelli) October 3, 2023
Here is a HQ version of the Grizzlies' new "City Edition" to be worn next season.
*NOTE* Design might not be 100% accurate https://t.co/pSPtkMnLLA pic.twitter.com/2gOBXKoZL0
The Indiana Pacers City Edition jersey stands out as one of the more baffling designs. This jersey features a color combination of teal and bright yellow, along with a spray paint style along the side, "Indy" and the player's number. Nothing about this jersey evokes the city of Indianapolis or the team identity.
It appears the Pacers are scheduled to debut their new City Edition uniforms at home on November 3rd against the Cavs. pic.twitter.com/7mHhxNNzSv
— Pacers & Fever Uniform Tracker (@PacersUniTrackr) October 23, 2023
You can look at the full list of City Edition designs here — if you dare — and make your own call.
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