Hoops Habit
Fansided

Ranking the 5 best All-Star jerseys in the history of the NBA

By Luke Duffy

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 26: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat and the Eastern Conference and Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Western Conference talk on court late in the second half during the 2012 NBA All-Star Game at the Amway Center on February 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 26: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat and the Eastern Conference and Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Western Conference talk on court late in the second half during the 2012 NBA All-Star Game at the Amway Center on February 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
NBA All-Star Weekend
NBA (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

5. 2015

In recent years the NBA has taken the flavor of where the game is being played and added it to the jersey for a particular year. This doesn’t always work, but in 2015 it really did as the All-Star game was held in New York.

Typically these jerseys had been red and blue, to signify East and West, but with the game being in New York, they went for black and white as the primary colors. The result is a fit that looked great on the court, but one which was also easier to pair with different looks for fans who wore them out themselves.

More from Hoops Habit

Adding to the design where the five stars that ran along the side of each jersey, which represented the five boroughs of New York nicely. Most controversially of all from a design standpoint, however, was the fact that players’ full names were used on the back of the jerseys. Something that definitely could not have worked, and yet somehow did.

With New York being such a big market they had to get this one right, and make it different from what had come before. The league managed to do that, with even the gear the players wore to the court (which we’re technically not ranking here but which add to the experience) looking great and featuring different badges depending on the different accomplishments players wearing them had.

The rosters on the night typically impact how we view a game, and this was an All-Star game that bridged the ageing past to the exciting future. Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis played for the West alongside Kobe Bryant, while the East was a mad mix featuring John Wall, Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol (with Marc Gasol starting for the West) in the starting five. A great night.