Ranking the Most Iconic 2000s NBA Jerseys
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 25 September 2024
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
Ranking the Most Iconic NBA Jerseys
Following the legendary decade of basketball in the 1990s, the sport entered a new era, and big part of that was the 2000s NBA jerseys.
Not only did many teams receive new 2000s basketball jerseys, but the players that dawned on them helped make them recognizable. No, betting on NBA games online wasn’t yet legal, but players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and more emerged, setting up a new era that fans will look back on fondly.
Below, I’ll review the iconic 2000s basketball jersey outfits and rank the top nine from that era.
Let’s dive in.
- 9. Phoenix Suns
- 8. New York Knicks
- 7. Detroit Pistons
- 6. Cleveland Cavaliers
- 5. San Antonio Spurs
- 4. Chicago Bulls
- 3. Golden State Warriors
- 2. Los Angeles Lakers
- 1. Miami Heat
9. Phoenix Suns
Introduced in 2000, the Suns were given new home and road jerseys. These 2000s basketball jerseys were worn by legendary players like Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Amar’e Stoudemire, Jason Kidd, Raja Bell, and more. One of the jerseys was mostly white, with purple running down the sides of the jersey and the shorts. On the right leg of the shorts, there was the old school logo that featured a basketball inside of a sun.
The logo read “Suns” across the front, the number of the player below that, and an oval-like shape around the number. The other jersey had the same characteristics except for the color scheme. It was primarily purple with grey running down the sides. These jerseys were far more modern than before, and the players who wore them helped bring these 2000s basketball jersey outfits to national prominence.
8. New York Knicks
The Knicks received new jerseys in 2002, which they wore through the 2005-06 season. These 2000s basketball jerseys were the same as the ones in the late 1990s but more minimalistic. The home jerseys were blue with an orange and black outline.
On the right shorts leg, there was a Knicks logo in bold letters that read “Knicks” and a basketball beneath it. The logo across the home and away jerseys reads “New York” in bold, outlined letters, with the player’s number displayed prominently below it in a font size larger than the logo. As for the road jersey, it was white with an orange and blue outline.
These 2000s basketball jersey outfits were worn well by players like Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury, and Kurt Thomas during the early 2000s, and the color schemes are forever memorable.
7. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons jerseys were quite similar to the Knicks in this era.
From 2001 to 2004, the Pistons wore a blue jersey on the road with a mostly red outline and a hint of white. The logo across the front read “Detroit” with the player’s number below it. The font was simple, but instead of an Impact-like font, there was a bit of a flair at the end of letters, like the “D,” that added some personality.
The home jerseys were white and read “Pistons” across them. The outline was red with a small portion of white next to it. It was layered so that white was still the outline of a white shirt, but it worked because of how thick the red outline was.
These were also the days when the Pistons were a fantastic team, with Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Chauncey Billups.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
In 2003, the Cavaliers drafted James No. 1 overall, and that same year, they introduced new jerseys. These were far different from the ones before them, and now, they featured jerseys that were primarily red and the others primarily white.
The road jersey was red, with “Cleveland” across the front at a slant. The “C” in “Cleveland” is extremely identifiable, as it’s the largest letter in a unique font.
It also features an outline of maroon and white. Throughout this decade, the Cavaliers didn’t win a title, but they went from being a bottom-of-the-conference squad to making it to at least the conference semifinals in five straight years, including an NBA Finals appearance in 2006.
The combination of James’s coming into the league and the new jerseys made these forever identifiable to even the most casual fan.
5. San Antonio Spurs
As we get toward the end of my list, there are numerous basketball jerseys that dress the 2000s. They haven’t changed much over the last few decades, but they’re simply too iconic not to love.
The Spurs are included in that list.
From 2002 to 2010, the Spurs won three NBA championships. Players like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, David Robinson, Tony Parker, and more wore them during that decade.
Of the two, the black jersey is my favorite. At the top, it has the “SPURS” logo across the front with the “U” in the shape of a spur.
The logo and number are white with a grey outline. The sleeves have numerous outline layers, including white, grey, and black.
These jerseys pop and should never change.
4. Chicago Bulls
Like the Lakers, the Bulls have worn a jersey since the mid-1980s and still wear it today.
Still, despite the lack of change, these are fantastic and iconic jerseys. While we’re looking at the 2000s only here, this was the same jersey Michael Jordan dawned, immortalizing them forever.
Then, in the 2000s, players like Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Kirk Hinrich, and others also wore them.
Of the two, I love the red jersey. The logo and number are black with a white outline. The jersey itself has a cool outline, especially on the shorts, which have a triangle shape with a thin black, thick red, thin black, and the rest white outline. With that open white space is the Bulls icon logo, which only adds to the look.
The jersey’s sleeves are also fantastic. These have white outlines, but within the white are three black, red, and black lines.
There are so many intricate details here that make this jersey pop.
3. Golden State Warriors
Before the Warriors jerseys we see them wearing today, they had some fantastic jerseys that defined the Monta Ellis and Baron Davis era, which spanned the entirety of the 2000s.
The Warriors weren’t nearly the team we know them as today, but these 2000s basketball jersey outfits were phenomenal. They appeared more “gritty” than the modern ones today.
The logo across the front read “WARRIORS,” but it was slanted with the word “W” as the biggest letter, and the rest of the road was arching. The player’s number was then shown slightly to the left of the jersey.
My favorite was the navy blue jersey, which was primarily that color, with a thin yellow strip, more navy blue, and a thick red outline.
During this time, the Warriors finished above .500 just twice, but we saw Stephon Curry wear this at the beginning of his career.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers wore their patented yellow and purple jerseys for many years, mostly evolving the logo on the front of the jersey. Here, I’ll focus on the one worn in 2005 through 2014. Yes, this goes outside the 2000s bracket, but again, these were the same jerseys for the longest time.
A slightly different version existed in 2004-05, but the only difference was where the NBA logo resided on the jersey.
Looking at these jerseys, this was during an era when Kobe Bryant also wore the No. 8 before switching to No. 24.
The yellow/gold jersey is memorable because it has a white outline with purple outside. I also prefer this one because “LAKERS” is much more visible across it than the purple counterpart, which had outlined gold letters that were a bit more difficult to read.
These Lakers teams were fantastic and had players like Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Bryant, and more.
1. Miami Heat
Of the famous basketball jerseys in the 2000s, the Heat owned my favorite.
This is my favorite of the 2000s NBA jerseys, mainly because of the lettering on the logo and because of the era of these teams.
I’m referring to the jerseys that were introduced in 2004 and remained until 2008. Players like Dwayne Wade, Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal, and Udonis Haslem wore them.
Of the two, I preferred the black jersey. The black made the logo and number on the front pop even more, as they were white lettering with a red outline.
The jersey was also outlined in three colors, including thin orange, thick red, and thin white lines. At the end of the “T” in “HEAT” across the front, what looks like a flame coming off of it.
These 2000s basketball jerseys will forever be iconic, especially with their 2006 NBA Championship win.
