Ranking the New NBA ‘Specter Edition’ Jerseys From Worst to Best

The NBA’s newest crop of jerseys certainly are something.

Dubbed the “Specter Edition” uniforms, the eight oldest franchises in the NBA (Celtics, Hawks, Kings, Knicks, Lakers, Pistons, Warriors and 76ers) will don the look throughout the upcoming 2026–27 season—whether they like it or not.

So, here’s the scoop: The “standard edition” collection of Specter apparel from Nike, officially released Tuesday, will be worn by players throughout the year “during warmups and practices and while traveling with their teams,” according to the press release. Fans are able to purchase all of those items they see their favorite players wearing on and off the court. (I’m holding out hope that a Kyle Kuzma-inspired giant pink sweater will be a part of the collection.) If you’ve played the new NBA2K game, you can see players wearing this collection as warmups on the bench.

With this new line of merchandise comes the “Specter Edition” jerseys, which will be officially officially rolled out later this fall. However, we got a glimpse of those jerseys last week when Nike hosted a runway event to showcase what’s coming to their shelves—and the basketball court—this season.

While the merchandise does look cool, the jerseys are … bad. Meh at best. But that doesn’t mean we can’t rank them. Let’s do that from worst (No. 8) to best (No. 1):

8. Philadelphia 76ers

The stars on this jersey reminds me so much of Dennis Rodman’s hairstyles when he was on the Bulls. It looks pretty sloppy. It’s giving more Graffiti on the Side of a Train instead of Here’s One of the Most Historic NBA Franchises.

7. Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers jerseys — A look at the Lakers’ Specter Edition jerseys. | Nike/NBA

Yuck. These look very … random. I’m not one of those members of the media who’d like to see teams only wear traditional white jerseys at home and primary color jerseys on the road. However, the Lakers’ standard home and away jerseys are so, so much better than whatever these are. I’m starting to lean that way.

6. New York Knicks

O.K., remember the millennial “Cool S?” The one you used to draw on the back of your science homework? Not to knock the “Cool S,” you are still cool, but these jerseys are the equivalent of a fifth-grade doodle. The defending champs deserve better.

5. Atlanta Hawks

Speaking of nostalgic things these jerseys remind me of, the Hawks’ “Specter Edition” uniforms bring me back to the old “Jazz” design featured on disposable cups in the 1990s. It looked totally cool in a cup holder in your Chrysler minivan driving down the interstate in 1995, but not too great on a basketball jersey in the big 2026.

4. Golden State Warriors

The San Francisco Giants tried to put the Golden Gate Bridge on their jerseys as part of their City Connect uniforms and I wasn’t a huge fan. This attempt is slightly better. The good news for Dubs fans: A no-look Steph Curry three will look good in any jersey.

3. Detroit Pistons

Either these are growing on me or I’ve been staring at “Specter Edition” jerseys for too long. (Have no fear, this list is almost over.) The colors seem random, but knowing the flames are a nod to the old school Pistons logo that featured a horse’s flaming mane makes it doable for me. Make no mistake about it, this will probably be the worst jersey on the court in every game it is worn, but compared to the other seven jerseys on this list, Detroit could’ve done worse.

2. Boston Celtics

These are fine. I started to like them better when I realized the “C” shape on the jersey was actually the side of the Celtics’ clover logo and not just a random “C.” Maybe I just like the color green more than I thought I did.

1. Sacramento Kings

Alright I actually like these. They are, accidentally, exactly how the Sacramento sky looks once the purple victory beam on top of Golden 1 Center is blaring into outer space after a hard-fought Kings win. Hey Nike, you did something right.

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