NBA analyst trashes Celtics, Lakers, Knicks City Edition jerseys; is he right?

The NBA City Edition jerseys are usually an acquired taste, and this year’s version ‘are just bad’ according to one analyst, especially the Celtics and Lakers’ versions.

Apr 22, 2024: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James lays on the court in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets during Game Two. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It’s hard to master a great uniform in any sport, but especially the NBA. NBA social media is always looking to pounce with criticism and extremely hot takes. Just ask Olympic gold medalist and American track star Noah Lyles after his “world champs” criticism. Even Team USA threw shade at him. 

So naturally when the NBA City Edition jerseys dropped a couple of days ago, there were going to be lots of takes. The Athletic’s Zach Harper added to the fire with a scathing review of the entire lot (“saturated in disappointment” is how he described it), but he especially had choice words for the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards (is there ever anything good to say about them?), and New York Knicks.

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Boston Celtics

Harper gave the Celtics the worst grade of zero: a zero out of ten to be precise after ranting about all of the City Edition fits.

“I am not here to argue with you if you like them,” wrote Harper. “I hate them. The Celtics get a 0/10 for channeling the Seahawks, highlighter Jazz and the Timberwolves into one jersey.”

Our take: Meh. Don’t love them but don’t have them. All of these new jerseys are for kids and younger generations, and this one fits that bill.

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Los Angeles Lakers

For the other iconic NBA franchise, Harper only has the Lakers slightly higher with a one out of ten. 

“The Lakers have no clue what they’re doing here,” Harper lamented. “1/10, and it would be less offensive to go back to MPLS jerseys at this point).”

Our take: We’re aligned. These fits are trying way too hard to be cool, and while this one looks like it’s trying to appeal to kids, were they designed by kids as well?

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New York Knicks

One of the most rabid NBA fan bases loves wearing jerseys, so why did this one fall short with a 3.5 out of ten? 

“Please stop doing the “bad at font shadowing” look on Knicks jerseys,” Harper surmised.

Our take: Agreed. If there was a better font without the bad shadowing, these ones could have been pretty sleek. Alas, the bad shadowing is hard to overcome.

It’s always fun to debate the merits of new jerseys, and these third jerseys are always the most controversial. Decide for yourself if they’re “saturated in disappointment.”

Every 2024-25 NBA City Edition Nike Jersey, a thread ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/mntAhtR4Cj

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) September 17, 2024

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