Nov 16, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

NBA analyst not a fan of Charlotte Hornets City Edition jerseys

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 12:55 PM ET

The Charlotte Hornets just got named a team with one of the best jerseys in the NBA. They were ranked fourth, behind only the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, and the Boston Celtics in that particular list.

That's not an opinion shared by everyone, though. Another NBA analyst undertook the same ranking for the 2025-26 jersey rotation, and the Hornets fell quite a bit. Instead of fourth, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes ranked Charlotte 18th, even though he factored in "everything" from colors to history and more.

"The internet says mints played a big part in Charlotte's history. If you really want to stretch it, you can also partially explain the Hornets' new gold City Edition jerseys in a similar vein to the UNC Charlotte 49ers, whose name nods to the year the university avoided being shut down (1949) but was also billed as a reflection of the pioneering spirit that led many Carolinians to travel across the country during the California gold rush of 1849," he said.

But even that cool nugget of information that sounds like something Eric Collins would pull out on a broadcast isn't meaningful. "What does any of that have to do with LaMelo Ball slinging cross-court passes to Brandon Miller? Very little, but we have to credit the Hornets for digging deep in a search for jersey inspiration," Hughes wrote.

The insider did say Charlotte has always stood out with the "extremely 1990s teal and purple color scheme", but he actually liked switching to the mint color scheme for the City Edition jerseys despite it being polarizing. He believes it's a "cooler" blue shade than the classic teal.

"The move to gold doesn't seem quite right," Hughes concluded. "It's a long way behind the basic white and teal pinstripe duds, and it's not nearly as interesting as mint." The Hornets tried to come up with something new and unique for their City Edition jerseys, but it apparently didn't land, and the regular uniforms aren't enough to offset that. However, if this were a ranking based on the team, 18th would be really nice.