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It would be foolish to think that appearance isn't a huge part of why the NBA is so popular. NBA players are known for their swagger on and off the court. On the court, uniforms and jerseys can define whether or not someone roots for a team. Not nearly as many people would have Vince Carter jerseys if they didn't have a dinosaurs on them. It's always fun to see what the next jersey concept is going to be and how people will react. This time, the jersey concept is based on hip-hop artists. The jerseys are wild and out there, but that's what makes it so fun to assess.
Here are the rankings for the hip-hop concept jerseys.
NBA Hip-Hop Jersey Concepts: #30. LA Clippers
Not sure exactly what's going on with these jersey's, but it is not working. These Clipper jerseys are primarily black and white static and have teal and red accents. Even though these jerseys are meant to stand out, I don't think these stand out in a good way.
#29. Golden State Warriors
To be honest these NBA jerseys are quite nice, but they don't really differ too much from their current jerseys. The fact that these jerseys are pretty plain, they rank near the bottom of the league.
#28. Washington Wizards
The Wizards jerseys lack originality here. The design itself isn't that bad, but the fact that the Wizards continue their American flag themed NBA jersey makes this concept one of the more poorly executed ones.
#27. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets' NBA jerseys aren't terrible, but they aren't very different from their usual jerseys. Some colour on the text of the jersey and coloured accents look good, but not good enough to rank high.
#26. Chicago Bulls
These jerseys would be awesome if they were normal NBA jerseys, but for a concept jersey they lack the swagger and pop that you would expect. A plain white jersey with altered text doesn't cut it for these rankings.
#25. Boston Celtics
The Celtics jersey colours blend really nicely, but an indistinguishable face at the bottom of the jersey just doesn't look right. The Celtics NBA jerseys are so classic and plain, it's odd to see them be any different. They end up at 25.
#24. Cleveland Cavaliers
These Cavs NBA jerseys are very clean, but lack that sort of pop that you want to see from a concept jersey. Although aesthetically appealing, the lack of creativity puts the Cavs at 24.
#23. Orlando Magic
The Magic could have executed a space themed jersey because of the way their jerseys already look. Instead, they decided to add colour that does not blend well with the base jersey colours. The random blob of colour brings the Magic near the bottom of these rankings.
#22. Toronto Raptors
I could honestly see the Raptors wearing these jerseys in the next couple of years. The gold and black really works for them, but the jerseys are too plain to be ranked any higher.
#21. Dallas Mavericks
Even though ‘Nothing Was the Same' is one of Drake's best albums, it does not mean that his face would look good on a Mavs jersey. Drake's head popping out of the teams shorts doesn't work for me.
#20. Milwaukee Bucks
I think we can all agree that these concept jerseys are a definite upgrade over their current jerseys. I really like this shade of green for the Bucks moving forward. Make it happen, Milwaukee!
#19. New York Knicks
The ominous design of a cold blue forest makes these jerseys very appealing to look at. Take the silhouette of a person out, and this is a top 10 jersey.
#18. New Orleans Pelicans
These colours work for the Pelicans and I wouldn't mind seeing Zion throw down a dunk in these concept jerseys. The red bright lights are an awesome look.
#17. Miami Heat
The Miami vice jerseys continue to be league favourites, but to be honest, I like them better than these concept jerseys. Hawaiian shirts need sleeves and buttons. This colour way still rocks though.
#16. Portland Trail Blazers
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These are jerseys that I can honestly see Portland wearing. The red gloomy sky design is really eye-catching. Is there a better team to have an apocalypse themed jersey? When Dame gets the last shot, the other teams world is over. This jersey has Dame Time written all over it.
#15. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers jerseys feature a new font and new colours and I'm digging it! I think these uniforms would be a significant upgrade from what they already have.
#14. L.A. Lakers
The Lakers have the theme of honouring late legends. Kobe in real life, Juice WRLD with these concept jerseys. The colour way adds a nice element to the traditional purple and gold.
#13. Brooklyn Nets
For a black and white jersey, this Nets concept jersey is awesome. A graffiti themed jersey white jersey opens the door for so much possibility. This jersey matches the persona of the city of Brooklyn as well. Lots of swagger. Love this concept jersey.
#12. Sacramento Kings
Wishing that the Kings could permanently use these jerseys moving forward. The drippy font, coupled with the pink and purple colour way looks incredible. Don't think it's possible to do much better with these jerseys.
#11. Utah Jazz
Moving away from traditional colours, the Jazz jerseys are based more on their orange and yellow alternates. The Tyler the Creator themed jersey features doves flying around which is a great representation of how Donovan Mitchell plays: flying through the air.
#10. Charlotte Hornets
J Cole is a legendary Carolina rapper and it only makes sense to put him on a Hornets jersey. The colour way isn't what we're used to seeing from Charlotte, but whatever is happening there is working.
#9. Detroit Pistons
These Pistons jerseys are probably one of the coolest and most wearable NBA jerseys of the lot. The new strong font and splatter pattern on the shorts are both excellent additions to the jersey. Big fan.
#8. Memphis Grizzlies
A plain black and white NBA jersey, but so much substance. A black and white design right under the numbers leaving the numbers and the ‘Memphis' print posted on the plain white part of the jersey. Very clean looking jersey. Love these.
#7. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves have been rocking with an ‘Aurora Borealis' type of of style for a few years now, but it hasn't been executed as well as this NBA jersey right here. This colour pattern absolutely rocks.
#6. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks did this NBA jersey for the ‘Culture' and based this jersey off of Atlanta's very own rap group Migos' album cover. The fact that the trim and text of the jersey are a money-green, while birds are placed on the shorts of the jersey for the Hawks makes this jersey both clever, and appealing. This is a keeper.
#5. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers' design was so cool that I think there should be an option to lobby for this to be their full time uniforms. The barbed wire on the yellow NBA jersey with the slightly slanted font looks incredible. This one is the most wearable jersey of the lot.
#4. Phoenix Suns
The Suns jersey brings Kanye West's legendary album ‘Graduation' to life with these awesome purple NBA uniforms. At this point it would make sense to make the mascot a teddy bear and transition to everything Kanye related.
#3. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs jersey have never been flashy or featured any real colour, so I wasn't expecting too much from a hip-hop themed jersey. What a pleasant surprise this jersey was. Based off of A$AP Rocky's first album ‘Long Live A$AP', these jerseys pop with black and white accents. Also love the money sign ($) replacing the first ‘S' in Spurs. What an NBA jersey.
#2. Houston Rockets
I was so close to putting these jerseys first because of how cool the entire uniform looks (top and bottom). The different colour letters themed after Travis Scott's ‘Astroworld' was an incredible touch. The roller coaster running from top to bottom, however, has to be the coolest complete NBA jersey concept of the bunch. The way that the jersey blends from top to bottom is remarkable. Similar to anything Travis Scott related, these jerseys would sell out in a heartbeat.
#1. OKC Thunder
It could just be the fact that the album cover features lightning, but these OKC ‘A Boogie wit da Hoodie' jerseys are the coolest hip-hop themed jerseys. The colour scheme of the album fits the colours of OKC perfectly. The lightning print all over the uniform is something that I can definitely see OKC using in the near future. One look at this NBA jersey, and you'll want a permanent change.
Maybe one day the NBA will adopt the idea of hip-hop themed jerseys. If they do, let's hope they stay away from an all-static jersey, and focus more on the roller coaster and lightning prints.
