With the Denver Nuggets releasing their 2023-24 City Edition jersey, the time has come to rank it amongst all other jerseys in Nuggets history (hint: it’s near the bottom).
A few caveats before diving into this column …
Caveat A: I have negative fashion sense. Not zero, mind you. Negative! Just ask my wife.
Caveat B: I recognize that jersey rankings are a purely subjective exercise (for example, I never liked the Nuggets “cursive” jerseys from the mid-to-late 2000’s but many fans love that jersey) and we should probably just do a fan poll here.
Caveat C: If a jersey design is basically the same, we’re not sub-dividing them as individual jerseys unless they had a major update. For example, the Nuggets powder blue and gold uniforms were essentially the same from 2003-04 through 2015-16 when they underwent a substantive update (I know their powder blue and gold jerseys were “shiny” until 2010 or so but, again, they were basically the same).
Caveat D: One-off jerseys (like Christmas Day, Green Recycling Day) don’t count and are not ranked here.
Given Caveats A, B, C and D, I have tried to bring some science to this conversation by proposing a (admittedly arbitrary) ranking system to help guide the discussion. Each jersey shall be given a score based on the following criteria:
1 to 3 points (3 being highest) for five distinct categories …
1 – Design quality
2 – Nostalgia factor – i.e. how good and memorable was / were the team(s) that wore a particular jersey.
3 – Uniqueness
4 – Color choices
5 – Who is the first player you think of when you see the jersey?
And note that we are combining home and away together and ranking Nuggets-only jerseys (apologies to Denver Rockets fans, but there’s no place for red and black and purple and gold jerseys in Denver basketball history!).
With that said, let the rankings begin (and a huge tip of the hat is owed to NBA Jersey Database and Basketball Jersey Archive for making this column possible) …
#23: The “Nuggets” Name Debut (1974-75)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Ralph Simpson: 1
Total Score: 5
After seven seasons as the Denver Rockets in the American Basketball Association (ABA), under the stewardship of new team president Carl Scheer, the Rockets changed their name to the Nuggets to commence the 1974-75 campaign. The name “Nuggets” was chosen as an homage to the NBA’s Denver Nuggets who played one lone season in 1949-50 and won only 11 games. The newly named “Nuggets” took the ABA by storm, winning 65 games in their debut season with their new moniker. Unfortunately, their jersey design didn’t live up to the team’s performance on the floor. Not only was zero gold utilized in the jersey, but the font was forgettable and looked like a 1970s psychedelic rock album cover that only Jeff Morton would appreciate.
#22: Powder Blue … and Dark Blue?! (2015-17 Main Jersey)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Emmanuel Mudiay: 1
Total Score: 5
Post-George Karl’s coaching era and before the Michael Malone / Nikola Jokic era really kicked into high gear, the Nuggets suffered from an identity crisis – both on and off the floor. And it showed with their “sort of” update from the powder blue and gold jerseys from the prior 12 years with the sudden usage of dark blue numbering and an altogether new naming font. The only thing these poorly designed jerseys will be remembered for will be the first jersey ever worn by the Nuggets best-ever player, Nikola Jokic.
#21: The 5280 Jersey (2023-24 City Edition)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Julian Strawther: 1
Total Score: 5
Having not yet seen this jersey in action, I am hesitant to grade it against its peers altogether. But at first blush, this season’s City Edition is like a Yakhouba Diawara three-point attempt (that means it’s a miss). While I love the attempt to get “5280” incorporated onto a Nuggets jersey somehow, as you’ll see in my comments below black should never be included as a primary Nuggets jersey color. And by making the skyline navy blue, it all but disappears against the black jersey. This jersey will get some love for being worn during Jokic’s third MVP season, but I’m already looking forward to the 2024-25 City Edition jersey.
#20: The Cursive “Nuggets” (2005-2012 Alternate)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Kenyon Martin: 1
Total Score: 5
Welcome to the era of “alternate” NBA jerseys. As if somehow knowing that the powder blue and gold jerseys made no sense to begin with, the Nuggets tried to rectify that mistake by serving up these dark navy-blue uniforms with a “kiddie” font.
#19: Sort Of Skyline (2017-18 Statement Edition)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 2
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Gary Harris: 1
Total Score: 6
After three straight seasons with the gold (or is it yellow?) skyline alternate jersey, the Nuggets took one more shot with this jersey motif and missed with this 2017-18 version. Bonus points for the old school font usage, but this short-lived and forgettable jersey was replaced after one season by the “Mile High City” Statement jersey … and for good reason.
#18: Maroon Skyline (2020-21 City Edition)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 7
Simply put, the Nuggets shouldn’t wear MAROON jerseys! The maroon trim for the 1990s Era Nuggets jerseys was fine, but this jersey was a total miss. Making matters worse, these City Edition jerseys looked eerily similar to the Utah Jazz’s City Edition jerseys from the same era.
#17: Pickaxe Logo 2.0 (2017-18 City Edition)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 7
This City Edition jersey was so infrequently worn that when I Googled pictures from the Nuggets 2017-18 season, I couldn’t find a single photo of any player wearing this. And I honestly don’t remember ever seeing this jersey in action myself. Were the shorts really this ugly?!
#16: Pickaxe Logo 3.0 (2020-21 Earned Edition)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 2
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 8
I have no recollection whatsoever of the Nuggets wearing this “Earned Edition” (whatever that means) jersey during the 2020-21 season. But I presume Jokic wore this at some point en route to his first MVP Award.
#15: Pickaxe Logo 1.0 (2015-17 Pride Edition)
Design Quality: 3
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Danilo Gallinari: 1
Total Score: 8
The NBA tried these sleeve / T-shirt jerseys for a few seasons in the mid aughts – heck, the Cleveland Cavaliers won a championship wearing sleeve jerseys – and the Nuggets did their very best to create a classy sleeve jersey that fit alongside one of their worst jerseys ever, the powder blue and navy-blue powder blue jersey updates (did you get all that?). These jerseys were also worn during the first two seasons of the Michael Malone coaching era which had the Nuggets on the right track – and a rookie Nikola Jokic – but nevertheless didn’t win a lot of games.
#14: Back in Black (2019-20 City Edition)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 2
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Jamal Murray: 3
Total Score: 8
While this jersey was popular amongst Nuggets fans and may be fondly remembered as an often-worn jersey during Jamal Murray and the Nuggets’ incredible Covid-19 “bubble” run to their fourth Western Conference Finals, I simply cannot accept black being used as a primary color anywhere on a Nuggets jersey. The Nuggets colors are blue (royal or navy), gold (yellow) and red (regular or dark-ish). Period. No need for black or powder blue to ever be part of a Nuggets jersey!
#13: UCLA Imitation (2003-15 Main Jersey)
Design Quality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 2
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Carmelo Anthony: 3
Total Score: 9
Even though this jersey switched from a “shiny” material to a non-shiny material in 2010, the powder blue and gold jersey and accompanying number and lettering fonts effectively remained in-place from the arrival of Carmelo Anthony in 2003 through the short-lived Brian Shaw coaching era of 2013-15 … making this jersey the Nuggets longest-running worn jersey style in franchise history. I still can’t get a straight answer as to why the Nuggets abandoned nearly 30 years with a color scheme that incorporated a darker blue with red and gold features, but the general theory is that then-Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe – a UCLA alum – wanted the Nuggets reimagined with UCLA’s color scheme. And while UCLA may have racked up many NCAA Championships adorning this color scheme, no powder blue-wearing team in pro basketball or football has ever won anything (see: Sacramento Kings, Houston Oilers, and so on). On a side note, this jersey scheme is most often associated with the era of the insensitively nicknamed “Thuggets” which featured the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Ruben Patterson, Reggie Evans, Chris Andersen, Ty Lawson and a collection of questionable characters who were always entertaining, but only played beyond the first round of the playoffs once in 10 straight post-seasons.
#12: The Skyline is Back! (2012-2017 Alternate)
Design Quality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 2
Uniqueness: 3
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Danilo Gallinari: 1
Total Score: 9
In the “A for Effort” category of jersey design, this modern-day version of the Nuggets beloved skyline was worn as the team’s alternate jersey for five seasons and covered some interesting eras. It was first worn to wrap up the end of the George Karl coaching era (which saw the Nuggets win a franchise-record 57 games), then had the misfortune of being worn during the forgettable Brian Shaw coaching era from 2013-2015 and saw some action at the dawn of the Michael Malone coaching era. In 2016, the jersey font changed from the Nuggets 2003-15 font to the retro late 1970s/1980s beloved Nuggets font. But in either case, it just didn’t work and when I see this jersey today, all I can think of are those Shaw coached teams playing like they were standing in quicksand.
#11: Powder Blue Abandonment (2017-18 Main Jersey)
Design Quality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 2
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 10
The precursor to today’s main jersey (ranked #2 on this list), in 2017 the Nuggets finally abandoned the powder blue color scheme as the primary jersey color and went with navy blue, gold and powder blue trim. This jersey was also accompanied by the last season in which the Nuggets didn’t make the playoffs but were becoming fun to watch again.
#10: ABA / NBA Merger (1975-77)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 3
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? David Thompson: 3
Total Score: 12
The Nuggets finished their tenure in the ABA and commenced their era in the NBA wearing these hard-to-read but nevertheless memorable jerseys. In the Nuggets final ABA season, they competed for the ABA championship against Julius “Dr. J” Erving’s New York Nets. And in their first NBA season, they won a Western Conference second-best 50 games … proving to all that they were NBA-ready all along. And it’s hard not to love a jersey with a pickaxe and a gold nugget on the front of it!
#9: Homage to the Stiffs (2021-22 City Edition)
DesignQuality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 2
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 12
Like #12 on this list, the Nuggets 2021-22 City Edition jersey gets extra credit for attempting to honor the past by combining elements from every Nuggets jersey going back to the mid-1970s (inclusive of the diamond patterns on the sides to honor the 1975-76 Nuggets jerseys … wow). Notably, this jersey featured elements from the 1980s era Nuggets with the old school Nuggets font and the rainbow checkers from the skyline logo. Unfortunately, the font used for the number (from the 1990s era Nuggets) doesn’t match the team name font from the 1980s era Nuggets. But this uniform gets bonus points for featuring Maxie Miner on the shorts.
#8: White Skyline (2018-19 City Edition)
Design Quality: 3
Nostalgia Factor: 2
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 2
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 12
After several misses in attempting to bring back the beloved Nuggets skyline design, this skyline reboot was well received by Nuggets fans with its clean, simple look to march in the best era of Nuggets basketball history alongside the terrifically designed Association, Icon, and Statement jerseys.
#7: Maroon, Navy, and Gold (1993-2003)
Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 3
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Dikembe Mutombo: 3
Total Score: 12
As beloved as the rainbow skyline jerseys were in Nuggets history, the Nuggets were due for a uniform upgrade after several disastrous seasons to commence the 1990s. And with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Dikembe Mutombo and LaPhonso Ellis, the Nuggets had amassed a collection of young talent that was ready to return to the playoffs after a three-year post-season absence. Very much a product of their design era with big, blocky letters and numbers, Nuggets fans joyously remember these jerseys as those worn during the eighth-seeded Nuggets giant playoff upset over the first-seeded Seattle Supersonics in 1994. Unfortunately, these jerseys were also worn during the worst era of Nuggets history between 1995 and 2003 when the Nuggets made zero playoff appearances and won less than 30 games five times (and less than 20 games three times).
#6: Rainbow Skyline with Green Trim and Dark Navy Blue (1982-1985)
Design Quality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 3
Color Choices: 2
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Alex English: 3
Total Score: 13
You might be wondering how this rainbow skyline jersey could be ranked #6 when its close cousin that succeeded it is ranked #1. But the gold trim and royal blue makes a big style difference over the dark green trim and dark navy-blue color scheme. Dark green has never been part of the Nuggets color package. Nonetheless, this is an awesome jersey that was accompanied by the ushering in of the rainbow skyline logo and marks one of the best seasons in Nuggets history when the team competed in the 1985 Western Conference Finals against the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers.
#5: The NBA Immersion (1977-82)
Design Quality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 3
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? David Thompson: 3
Total Score: 13
The most underrated Nuggets jersey in franchise history, this clean and classically designed jersey prominently displayed the Nuggets awesome 1970s to 1980s font scheme and colors. This was the jersey worn for the Nuggets first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance (a loss to Seattle in 1978) and was also the first jersey worn by the Doug Moe coaching era Nuggets … from where the name “Stiffs” is derived. And for bonus points, the shorts that accompanied these jerseys were adorned with the Maxie Miner logo.
#4: Mile High City (2018-Present Statement Edition)
Design Quality: 3
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 3
Color Choices: 2
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 14
A minor nitpick – I liked the 2018-2022 version of this jersey better with the white font around the yellow number (the current version has a yellow naming font and a yellow number). But regardless, like #2 and #3 on this list, this jersey represents the greatest era of Nuggets basketball in franchise history and the “Mile High City” moniker is just awesome. Let’s hope this jersey remains as a prime alternate for the entirety of the Jokic / Murray era.
#3: Championship Jersey (2022-23 City Edition)
Design Quality: 2
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 3
Color Choices: 3
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 14
I must admit that I didn’t love last season’s City Edition / NBA 75th Anniversary jerseys when they were first worn as I felt like the Nuggets were combining too many design elements into one jersey. But the Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers (marking the first time the Nuggets had defeated the Lakers in the playoffs … ever) and then went on to win their first-ever NBA Championship while wearing these jerseys, making it impossible not to love them forever.
#2: Champion Era Nuggets (2018-Present Main Jersey)
Design Quality: 3
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 2
Color Choices: 3
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Nikola Jokic: 3
Total Score: 14
The Nuggets have had an interesting history of returning to the playoffs (1994 and 2004) or having playoff success (1983) with a major jersey change. And this trend held true when the Nuggets finally overcame their jersey, logo, and color identity crisis of the mid-aughts and rolled out these classy jerseys that were an homage to the Nuggets rich history color-wise while also providing a much-needed update for their future. A standing ovation is due to the Nuggets marketing brass for creating these instant classic and forever memorable jerseys.
#1: Rainbow Skyline with Gold Trim (1985-1993)
Design Quality: 3
Nostalgia Factor: 3
Uniqueness: 3
Color Choices: 3
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Alex English: 3
Total Score: 15
To me, there’s no debate as to what the best jersey in Nuggets history was. Not only were the rainbow jerseys (with the gold trim) the best jerseys in Nuggets history, but they are also arguably the best jerseys in NBA history. These jerseys also begun and ended on high notes. When they debuted to launch the 1985-86 season, the Nuggets won 11 of their first 13 games with our favorite cast of Nuggets Stiffs ever like Alex English, Fat Lever, Calvin Natt, T.R. Dunn, Bill Hanzlik, Danny Schayes, Mike Evans, Blair Rasmussen, and Wayne Cooper (may he rest in peace). And in their final appearance in 1993, Chris Jackson (who would go on to become Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), concluded a thrilling season by hitting a game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer against the formidable Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns in the season’s final game at McNichols Arena. Rather than continue to design something like these fantastic jerseys, why not just wear these as the Nuggets alternate jerseys going forward? Wouldn’t you love to see Jokic and Murray wearing these?!
