Ranking all 30 NBA jerseys: Which team reigns supreme?

Ranking all 30 NBA jerseys: 1. Los Angeles Lakers

And then there was one. Did you expect any other jersey to make it to the top of the list? Let’s run through the reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers were the clear number-one choice for a ranking of the league’s best jerseys.

First, the colors are gorgeous. Whether you call it purple or “Forum Blue,” it’s a beautiful color and looks great contrasted with the gold. Second, it’s the jersey of stars: from Elgin Baylor to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal to LeBron James, some of the league’s greatest players have worn the purple-and-gold, a look that is largely untouched through the years.

Finally, it’s the championships. The Lakers haven’t just worn the same colors for 50 years, they have won while doing so. Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain won a title in purple and gold. Kareem and Magic won 5. Shaq and Kobe won three, and Kobe then got another two with Pau Gasol. LeBron and Anthony Davis won in 2020.

Let’s hit on the jerseys themselves briefly. The three jerseys are all based on the same idea, with “Lakers” across the top in purple or gold. The iconic logo, purple stars around a gold basketball, is on the waistband.

The shorts are banded in purple and gold, and I’m a sucker for those outlined shorts. The purple Statement jersey introduced a black band down the side, which looks great, too. There is not a thing I would change about these jerseys. They are, quite simply, the best in the league.

Wife Take: I want to hate them because they took my favorite player… but I don’t hate this jersey. It looks really good. Classic.

There you have it. 30 NBA teams, 90 jerseys, ranked from 30 to 1. Some teams have some work to do; others know exactly what they do so well. Add to this core list a plethora of alternates, throwbacks, and new ideas, and you have plenty to choose from as you grow your personal collection and enjoy what you see on the court. The NBA: Where Amazing Happens, and you look good doing it.