Ranking Every Lakers City Edition Uniform From Worst to First
There will be no shortage of uniform news in the NBA this season. The league is celebrating the ABA merger anniversary, rolling out Standard Issue uniforms for select teams, and marking a decade of the City Edition program.
Overall, Nike's run as the league's official uniform supplier has been bad. After a strong start, oversaturation of alternate uniforms has diluted team identity and trashed the television viewing experience. However, there have been a few nice City Editions and glorious Classic Editions.
No team has experienced the good and bad more than the Los Angeles Lakers. Setting Classic and Earned uniforms aside, we are ranking every City uniform from worst to first before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
8. 2018–19: Magic Johnson (Showtime)
The 2018–19 "Showtime" uniforms continued the Lore series as a tribute to Magic Johnson. Comparing these alternate uniforms to arguably the most popular set in franchise history felt disrespectful to the Showtime era and Johnson. The loaded font and pinstripes with black detailing made zero sense.
7. 2024–25: California Destiny
The Lakers wore the "California Destiny" uniforms during the 2024–25 season. The "Lake Show" across the chest felt cheap and tacky, but even that couldn't compare to the purple and black gradient. The concept built on the prior season's "California Dream" uniforms, which felt more like a flea-market nightmare.
6. 2022–23: The Blank Canvas
It genuinely felt like the Lakers and Nike gave up during the 2022-23 season with the "Blank Canvas" uniforms. Instead of telling a story, the minimalist uniform was intentionally left blank as "a vehicle to tell the stories behind the individual Changemakers around Los Angeles." At least the classic font and block numbers were alright.
5. 2020–21: Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis to LA)
The 2020–21 "Minneapolis to LA" set paid homage to Elgin Baylor who passed away in March 2021. The Lakers legend played an integral role during the most pivotal time in franchise history. The crisp white and blue uniforms were a clean tribute to one of the all-time greats.
4. 2023–24/2025–26: California Dream
The "California Dream" uniforms were popular enough during the 2023–24 season that the team reprised them for the 2025–26 campaign. The black base represented the team's unknown identity and uncertain future when they first arrived in Los Angeles.
The triangle wordmark was a nod to the 1960s. Meanwhile, the numbers were pulled from the highly successful years between 1999 and 2017.
3. 2019–20: Shaquille O'Neal (Most Dominant Ever)
The 2019–20 "Most Dominant Ever" uniforms were designed with the help of Shaquille O'Neal. Not only did they capture the fun spirit of O'Neal's dynastic days in Los Angeles, but they were proof that Nike knows how to apply the right shade of gold to Lakers uniforms. The stars on the lateral sides were a nice touch, too.
2. 2021–22: The Mixtape (NBA 75th Anniversary)
The NBA's 75th Anniversary season was such a fun year. Like every other team, the Lakers' 2021-22 "Mixtape" uniforms remixed design elements from every era into a beautiful homage. Everything, from the Minneapolis Lakers' blue to the classic font and "L" logo on the waistband (inspired by the three-peat era of the 2000s), came together incredibly well.
1. 2017–18: Kobe Bryant (The Black Mamba)
The 2017–18 "Black Mamba" uniforms were a quick tribute to the recently retired Kobe Bryant. However, many Lakers fans will associate them with the team's emotional 2020 NBA Championship run in the bubble that came shortly after Bryant's tragic passing.
The traditional font and block numbers were great, but the black snakeskin pattern put these uniforms over the top. Many Lakers fans want these uniforms to have a permanent spot in the rotation, and we can't disagree with them.
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Pat Benson covers team uniforms and player apparel for Jerseys On Sports Illustrated. Pat is a trusted voice for fans, regularly breaking news, spotlighting important stories, and interviewing the biggest names in sports. Pat also covers the footwear industry and has authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020." You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.
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