Ranking the Orlando Magic’s all-time uniforms (with new Orange City Edition)
The Orlando Magic are adding a new uniform to its set with the orange City Edition jerseys. Where does it rank in the pantheon of Magic jersey? We rank.
The Orlando Magic have always used the same color palette since the team began.
The jerseys were always a bit understated using blue, black and white in some combination. Maybe a touch of gray.
The Magic’s uniforms were boldest when they first came out with the pinstripes standing out in a league with sometimes fairly bland jerseys. They have wormed their way into Magic fans’ hearts and it has been difficult for the team to copy that success.
They are always chasing the original.
Friday, the Magic will debut a new vision for their jerseys. It is something completely different. As the advertisement campaign proclaims, it is a “bold” change for the Magic.
Orlando will wear a gray (OK, the color is called anthracite) jersey with orange trim. For the first time, the team will not have any hint of its primary colors. And the Magic will (although not officially announced) debut a new court with orange coloring.
The jersey design the Magic released is not the boldest they could have gone. The orange version of the jersey is likely to come next year. The team is preparing everyone for a bit of a brighter vision of the team’s jersey.
Reviews of the jersey have been mixed. Some have rejected the color-scheme change outright. Others just find them fairly bland and not worth the massive rollout. We will still have to wait to see how they look in person when they debut Friday against the Toronto Raptors.
Nike’s presence as the apparel provider for the NBA has changed a lot of things. The past three years have seen every team get a brand new jersey concept every season — if not two. It sometimes feels like overkill. But if it moves in the team stores, they will keep pumping them out.
This year, the Magic will debut the orange City Edition jerseys and have already worn a new Statement Edition blue jersey with star striping along the shorts. Those jerseys are clean and fine but hardly impressive.
The last time we ranked the Magic’s all-time jerseys was three years ago when the team unveiled its less-than-impressive “Stars” jerseys. Since then, Nike has taken over as the jersey designer and the team has thrown up some very new looks — the infamous space jerseys have already come and gone.
So it is time to add some new jerseys to our list and re-rank the best jerseys in Magic history. Be sure to put the best ones on your Christmas list.