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Ranking the Atlanta Hawks Top Five Best City Edition Jerseys Since 2017

Where do the Atlanta Hawks City Edition jerseys rank in their own top 5?
Kahlil McCuller|
Jun 14, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) celebrates after a three-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter during game four in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jun 14, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) celebrates after a three-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter during game four in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Hawks

Hawks fans, and many NBA fans as well, believe Atlanta has some of the best City Edition jerseys in the NBA. The one that has the fondest of memories as far as success goes is no doubt the Martin Luther King Jr. or MLK jerseys from the Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021, but since then and before, the Hawks have had some of the league's best in recent years.

Nike has been featuring these style jerseys since 2017, when they became the NBA's sportswear brand for apparel and jerseys, celebrating every NBA team's city cultural elements. Let's take a look at what jerseys the Hawks have had that stuck out as potential fan favorites, and that would be in the conversation for the top five best since they've been released.

5. 2017-18 "VOLT" City Edition

The 2017-18 City Edition uniform served as the Hawks' first ever for that season, and was considered a fan favorite and one of the bright spots of that season as the team struggled with a rebuild. The jersey, however, features a mixture between the past and the future as it features volt accents that come from the Hawks' 1970 uniforms, and the jersey font is inspired by the Atlanta music scene.

The Hawks chose to cater to younger audiences with this design, as at the time of its release, the primary consumers for this jersey were sneakerheads who mainly wore it due to the bright highlighter neon look. This jersey would be considered too loud by older generations due to its eye-catching design and colors. However, what made it unique was its ability to stand out in its original release and feature Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy wearing it first.

JEEZ
Dec 14, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Recording artist Jeezy performs at halftime of a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This is the only jersey that the Hawks have made in the City Edition design to feature this colorway. Still, I always wondered why they never tried anything like this again, as they had away jerseys with a similar design. The volt green stripe going down the side, and the gray and black diamonds on the side as well, offer a clean, rejuvenating look.

4. 2018-19 "50th Anniversary Edition" City Edition

The 2018-19 City Edition uniforms were a smooth design to say the least, as they featured black and gold lettering and numbering, with a gold trim. The side panels of the jersey were made to resemble a Hawks wing, and the gold was to celebrate the 50th Anniversary season for the Atlanta Hawks, who had moved to Atlanta in 1968. The court featured a similar vibe with black and gold accents, with the number 50 on the logo of the court to celebrate the season, which led to the Hawks organization doing different fan engagement events. Specifically, fans were able to vote on the greatest Hawks players ever and throwback uniforms to pair with community events.

These jerseys had some iconic moments, specifically when they took on the Philadelphia 76ers in March of 2019, who were a playoff-bound team at the time and were on a six-game win streak. In the final seconds, however, Trae Young made a game-winning floater to end the Sixers' winning streak, leading to his teammates pouring water over him, as he finished with 32 points and 11 assists.

Tra
Mar 23, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is doused with water after a victory against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Even though it was made for the 50th Anniversary of the Hawks' move to Atlanta, in the future, the Hawks should bring these back or create a remixed version. The Hawks also had a throwback jersey or "Classic Edition" uniform from the 1968 season of powder blue and red that I would also like to see them bring back, which was featured for the same season.

ATL
Jan 15, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

3. 2019-20 "Peachtree" City Edition

If you are a Hawks fan, you remember the amount of hype that the "Peachtree" City Edition jerseys had when they first came out. The Peachtree across the jersey is supposed to represent the famous street in Atlanta called "Peachtree Street," and the jersey also features colors "electro peach" and "sunset haze" on the accents. The overall design was made to pay homage to the vibrant culture, arts, and entertainment scene, as well as the streets that connect the neighborhoods to make it what it is today.

The uniform wasn't the only iconic part about this collection, as the collection as a whole, in terms of apparel, sold out and was an instant hit amongst fans. It was so much of a success that Hawks fans asked for these to be featured again, and the Hawks responded by making a retro version with slight differences made to the jersey for this upcoming season.

2. 2021-22 "404 Heritage" City Edition and NBA 75th Anniversary season

This jersey pays homage to multiple eras of Hawks hoops, as the numbering and lettering both come from the 1970s uniforms. The throwback Hawks "wingspan" logo on the front and the "Pacman" logo on the belt are nods to the 1990s, as well as the yellow on the jersey paying homage to the 2000s uniforms. The overall design was considered to be the "Basketball Mixtape" to show the team's fiery passion for the game; these had mixed reviews similar to the Volt ones, as these were a loud jersey to wear, but were still a nice tribute overall to the city of Atlanta, with the 404 area code on the jersey tag and two color trim that was a nod to the 1985 uniforms.

This jersey is so iconic, for both what they represented to the city of Atlanta and some classic moments on the court. Some notable games featuring these uniforms are the MLK Day game against the Milwaukee Bucks, where the Hawks had a double-digit comeback, the Boston Celtics game in January, the Los Angeles Lakers game at the end of January, and the April game against the Brooklyn Nets. The court itself was also very well put together, but unfortunately, the Hawks didn't wear these in the postseason.

AT
Dec 5, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) grabs a rebound against the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

1. 2020-21 "MLK" City Edition

The "MLK" uniform is and always will be a major symbol of what Atlanta represents. The jersey was made to be a special tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the design of the jersey was handled by the NBA, NBAPA, Nike, and the Dr. King Estate. The jersey featured black, gold, and white lettering, and instead of the typical ATL on the front, they put Dr. King's initials, MLK. The other cool parts about this jersey are the details featured in it, including a crown-and-shield symbol and stained glass window motifs, which showcase Dr. King's life.

The jersey holds a symbolic place in fans' hearts, not just for political reasons, but also because the iconic 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run took place, featuring these uniforms. In that run, the Hawks had beaten both the heavily favored New York Knicks in five games, the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in Philly, and taken the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks six games. However, I still believe, like many Hawks and NBA fans, that if Trae Young doesn't get hurt in game three against the Bucks, the Hawks win that series and are champions that summer, which would change how we view the Hawks and Young as of now.

AT
Jul 3, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins (20), forward Cam Reddish (22) and guard Trae Young (11) leave the court in the closing minutes of their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2021 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-Imagn Images | Jason Getz-Imagn Images

Now that we've taken a nice nostalgic trip down memory lane, how would you personally rank these, and where would you feature some of the others not listed in your top five?

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Kahlil McCuller
KAHLIL MCCULLER

Kahlil McCuller started covering Virginia Tech Athletics for Virginia Tech On SI in July 2024 and the Atlanta Hawks For Atlanta Hawks On SI since April 2025. Kahlil is also the co-host of the Burg Bros Sports Podcast and has extensive experience in the sports industry with a high knowledge of both professional and collegiate sports. His work concentrates on comprehensive and insightful analysis, making him a highly reliable source in the sports media industry.

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