Ugliest jerseys in NBA history

Ugliest jerseys in NBA history

Atlanta Hawks (1970-72)

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Featuring a puke-green color palette was a bold choice for the Hawks. Even Pistol Pete looked bad wearing these duds.

New Jersey Nets (1990-91)

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We’re not sure what the designers of this jersey were on when they created these acid-washed blue jerseys, but thankfully they only lasted one season before they were put out to pasture.

Philadelphia 76ers (1991-94)

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You can't help but think of NBC's "The More You Know" PSAs from the '90s when you look at this uniform.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1994-97)

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Even Mark Price's sweet shooting stroke couldn't make these jerseys look good. He can't even bare to look down at his own jersey.

Milwaukee Bucks (1995-99)

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From the creepy deer logo plastered on the front to the questionable shade of green, there are absolutely no redeeming qualities about this Bucks jersey.

Atlanta Hawks (1995-99)

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These jerseys definitely deserve the finger wag from Dikembe Mutumbo.

Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-2000)

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From the cartoon-like Grizzlies logo to whatever that pattern is around the edges, this Grizzlies jersey takes ugly to new heights. Having Bryant Reeves as one of the faces of the franchise during this era certainly didn’t help to ease the pain.

Detroit Pistons (1995 - 2001)

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The Detroit Pistons had a great logo, and this particular jersey looked great in white. And while the red version wasn't very appealing, it didn’t compare to this eye sore in teal.

Toronto Raptors (1997-99)

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Let’s just get this out there: the Toronto Raptors cartoon dinosaur logo is one of the worst in all of sports. Slap it on the front of a purple striped jersey and you can’t help but think of Barney the Dinosaur. Thankfully, the old logo will soon be extinct.

Dallas Mavericks (2001)

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Using Nike’s Dri-FIT Shimmer to give off a metallic look, the world was not ready for the high sheen on these jerseys. They were so poorly received that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban pulled them after one game.

Dallas Mavericks (2009-09)

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Hopefully this awful combination of green and blue is never seen together again.

Detroit Pistons (2005)

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The lightning bolt was first added to the Detroit Pistons’ uniforms in 1978 after Dick Vitale was hired as head coach as part of his promise of “re-Vitalize-ing” the team. If you lose the forked lightning bolts going down the sides of the jerseys they don’t look all that bad. Unfortunately, the team decided to leave them in, which earns them a spot in our pantheon of terrible jerseys.

Miami Heat (2005-06)

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A throwback to their ABA days as the Miami Floridians, this pastel-striped throwback jersey might be the one thing that even Shaq couldn’t make look good. Dwyane Wade was (probably) so disgusted by the jerseys that he can’t even bare to look back for fear of getting blinded by the hot pink stripe.

Sacramento Kings (2005-07)

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This was not made for royalty. The liberal use of gold only makes these jerseys look tacky. These were alternate jerseys for a reason, and they only lasted two seasons before the Kings retired them.

Washington Wizards (2006)

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The stripe from this throwback to their time as the Capital Bullets from the early '70s looks like it’s trying to take a detour and get as far away from this jersey as possible.

Buffalo Braves/LA Clippers (2006)

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Orange is rarely a good look for a jersey, and the L.A. Clippers’ throwback to their days as the Buffalo Braves does not buck that trend. The oddly placed stripes going diagonally across the jersey with the feathered B logo for some reason seem to evoke images of Bridgestone Tires. There’s a reason that this jersey was only kept around for two seasons before the team went with a new color scheme.

Washington Wizards (2006-09)

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Gold should be used in moderation, but the Wizards apparently didn’t get that memo.

Charlotte Bobcats (2007-08)

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In conjunction with NASCAR, the Charlotte Bobcats hosted a ‘NASCAR Night’. Part of the promotion involved a newly designed jersey that had a checkered flag pattern going down the sides of the jerseys. This is one race that the Bobcats most certainly lost.

Toronto Raptors (2011-12)

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Anyone in the military should be offended by the awful use of the camouflage pattern on these Raptors jerseys. We’re willing to bet that the players wish they could just blend in with their surroundings instead of being seen wearing these.

Memphis Tams/Grizzlies (2012)

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In a nod to their short stint as the Memphis Tams in the days of the ABA, the Grizzlies brought these throwback jerseys back as a part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classics Nights series. Why they chose to use the mismatched green and yellow Tams uniforms baffled just about everyone.

New York Knicks (2012)

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Worn for their Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers, it should be a crime to wear this much orange. Like everything bad that happens to the Knicks, we'll just blame this on owner James Dolan.

New Orleans Hornets (2012-13)

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This Mardi Gras-inspired jersey likely made even more people sick on Bourbon Street.

Sacramento Kings (2013)

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The two-tone design for this throwback jersey from the mid-90s was bad enough, but add in the checkered pattern going down the side and you have this poor excuse for a jersey.

Sleeved jerseys (2012-Present)

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We’ll give the nod here to the Golden State Warriors since they were the unfortunate souls chosen to debut the sleeved jerseys. But you can pick one, pick any one (seriously, they’re all hideously ugly). With adidas opting to not extend their partnership with the NBA following the 2016-17 season, we may be able to finally bid adieu to these sleeved monstrosities.

San Antonio Spurs (2013-Present)

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We respect the fact that the Spurs are paying tribute to our servicemen with the digital camouflage pattern, but it’s just not a good look. It’s at least a slight step up from what the Raptors were trotting out.