NBA Fashion: Knicks and Nets JerseysAndrew Horowitz

The holiday season is upon us, which means that people across the country take pride in wearing their ugliest sweaters. In the spirit of holiday fashion, NBA uniforms definitely make a distinct statement. Some jerseys are truly awesome, while others are cringe worthy. Let’s take a look at the historic portfolio of jerseys for the Knicks and Nets and pick the best few and the worst few.

New York Knicks

Best Jerseys:

1952-1961

This jersey is the perfect combination of a simple design with a unique twist. The lettering and numbering on the front of the jersey is bold, but not overwhelming, and the accents of blue and orange are an excellent touch. The showstopper however is the checkerboard piping on the side of the jersey and the shorts. It gives the uniform personality, elegance, and style. I wish that this signature feature, the checkerboard design, was a permanent element on all Knicks jerseys.

1968-1978

This was the jersey worn during the Knicks two championship runs, thus representing the most successful era in franchise history. In terms of design, the jersey is graceful, but also eye-catching. The blue and orange in the home white model, and the orange and white in the blue road model, seamlessly compliment the base color of the jersey. Additionally, it is the first Knicks jersey to use an elastic waistband. Although this jersey was created 45 years ago, it is clear that it was the inspiration for the current Knicks jersey, as they hope to summon the same championship success.

Worst Jerseys:

1979-1983

In 1979, the Knicks completely altered the look of their jerseys and the result was not pretty. The colors of these jerseys do not match the classic orange and blue of the Knicks, but rather use a reddish orange and a purplish blue. Deviating from the look of the championship seasons, the shorts have a pseudo Yankees logo on the right side and the player’s number on the left side. This results in a lack of brand and team differentiation. In addition, the player’s number appears in massive font on the back of the jersey and dominates the name of the team on the front of the jersey. Simply put, the jersey is trying to do way too much. Thankfully, the Knicks scrapped this jersey after only four seasons and moved back towards a more traditional and clean look.

1997-2001

This jersey is tough on the eyes. In the 1990’s, black was required on all NBA jerseys because it was considered the most marketable color. However, pairing black with blue and orange isn’t a good combination. The deep tone of black tends to drown out the lighter blue and orange tones. In addition, the side piping on both the top and bottom of this jersey is way too wide and the shorts themselves are way too busy. Just like the 1979 jersey, this 1997 design only lasted for four years, and black was completely removed from all Knicks jerseys in the 2012-2013 season. In my opinion, a case of addition of by subtraction.

New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets

Best Jerseys:

1977-1990

They say symmetry is beautiful, but in the case of the 1977-1990 Nets jersey, the asymmetric design works wonders. While most NBA teams have side piping on both sides of the jersey, the Nets took a risk and focused on incorporating an intricate design on only one side. The risk fully paid off. The left side piping of the jersey that features stars and stripes is not only patriotic, but is also distinguishable and visually appealing. Simply put, the ode to the American flag, as represented on this iteration of Nets jerseys, makes people stop and stare.

2012-Present

In 2012, the Nets moved to Brooklyn, and with it came a complete jersey and logo redesign to mirror the toughness of New York City. Abandoning colors all together, the Brooklyn Nets jersey and logo are black and white, a far cry from the red, white, and blue of the past. The new home and away jerseys are perfect examples of a clean, but simply approach to design. They accent the base color (home-white and road-black) with a solid inverse piping throughout the jersey top and bottom. The jerseys also pay homage to the borough with the word Brooklyn broad across the chest, rather than the team name. Stated simply, the present day Nets jerseys represent a timeless look for the franchise moving forward.

Worst Jerseys:

1982-1984

This jersey lasted for only two season and it’s easy to see why. Trying to be unique, the Nets went with script on both the home and away jerseys, a font-type that is smooth and delicate. In a league predicated on toughness, passion, and intensity, the use of script is confusing and ineffective. Not to mention that the script NJ on the shorts is extremely hard to read. Additionally, the branding on these jerseys is extremely inconsistent. The front of the home jersey says Nets, while the front of the away uniform says New Jersey. Luckily, the jersey produced directly after this debacle is one of the best in Nets history.

1990-1991

I am in favor or being creative and unique when designing an NBA jersey, but the road uniform worn by the New Jersey Nets during the 1990-1991 campaign was a failed attempt at thinking outside the box. Unbelievably, the jersey is tie-dye. Tall, muscular, and tough NBA basketball players were asked to wear a similar style of clothing that is loved by 2nd graders. The discrepancy between the jersey design itself and the players wearing it was vast. To this day, it is one of the most infamous jersey designs of all-time because of how truly absurd it was.