Here's Why You Won't See City Edition Uniforms Late in the NBA Playoffs

The NBA reportedly directed teams to return to their core uniforms for the final two rounds.

Indiana Pacers forward Nesmith and guard Haliburton celebrate against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The NBA's City Edition uniforms will reportedly remain in locker rooms during the final two playoff rounds—even for the four teams left competing for an NBA title.

According to a Sunday morning report from the Indianapolis Star's Dustin Dopirak, the NBA directed teams to return to "core uniforms" for the conference finals and NBA Finals, making City Edition uniforms only available for the first two rounds. A core uniform consists of a team's primary or alternate colors and excludes City and Classic Edition uniforms.

Dopirak's report follows the Indiana Pacers' announcement that the team will wear their gold Statement Edition uniforms for the rest of the playoffs ahead of their Eastern Conference finals series against the New York Knicks.

going gold 🤩

we're wearing our statement uniforms for the rest of the 2025 playoffs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e4lYRqfp18

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 18, 2025

In Sunday's Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets for a trip to the Western Conference finals, both teams will wear core uniforms, making City Editions fully retired until next season.

Each NBA team has a City Edition uniform, which fans can view on NBA LockerVision. City Editions give teams color freedom to tell hyper-local stories, using any color to bring a city-specific theme to life, often incorporating team branding in new ways. For example, the Nuggets' City Edition uniform says "5280" across the chest instead of the team's city or name. The uniform pays homage to Denver's unique standing as the only team to play a mile—or 5,280 feet—above sea level.

With the NBA playoffs moving along, the unique City Edition will be retired until next season. Basketball purists can rejoice knowing team's will only wear their standard uniforms over the last two rounds.

---

More NBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated

feed