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.
The Worst of the Worst
There are some truly terrible jersey designs in Orlando Magic history. Especially as the team moved away from its more playful elements and fonts, the team’s jersey design got completely unimaginative. And then they seemingly ran out of good ideas for alternate jersey designs as the adidas contract expired.
These jersey designs were rightfully panned at the time. They were aesthetically ugly and just downright bad.
Fortunately, for the most part, the Magic’s worst jerseys were limited to alternates that were rarely worn. Still, nobody was that excited to see them.
16. 2004-08 Plain White
The Magic opted to redesign their jerseys entering the 2004 season. Orlando had graduated from the stars design (we will get to that one) and then unveiled a jersey that was so plain it might as well have been a generic layout design.
The white jerseys were especially plain and ugly. The fact this would be the Magic’s home uniform for five years was frustrating enough.
The team went to a plain white jersey with blue trim and blue “MAGIC” written across the chest.
They had no charm and sure did not look good. Neither did the 1-19 start the Magic got off to that season while debuting those jerseys.
These were forgettable jerseys for a forgettable time in Magic history. The only good memories came in their last season when Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard led the Magic back to the playoffs two straight years with a Southeast Division title.
From there, the team changed its identity on the court and changed its fortunes.
15. 2015-17 Pride Alternates
As the adidas contract was winding down, the Magic still apparently had some contractually obligated alternates that needed to get sent out before the contract expired. And this came at the time the league was experimenting with sleeved jerseys.
The sleeved jerseys experiment did not go over well with fans. They were universally panned — even if the jerseys were originally designed for people to buy and feel like they were wearing a jersey even when they were purchasing a t-shirt.
Yeah, you can see where the idea went off the rails.
Instead of trying a new color scheme or making a truly unique jersey like the Cleveland Cavaliers did, the Orlando Magic simply slapped some sleeves on their home uniforms and turn the white to gray (at least it was the grayish silver of the stars in the original Magic logo).
But nobody really liked these at all. It was hardly unique and just felt like the cheap alternate you would find at a jersey shop selling some knock-off merchandise.
14. 2004-08 Plain Blue
Just like the home edition, these regular road jerseys were extremely plain. The Magic’s road set at this time was equally as boring.
The only good thing about them that puts them over the home jerseys is that they had a splash of color. That is still a lot of empty blue space with no charm. And the block font for the Magic was equally boring and devoid of character.
There is a reason the Magic so quickly disposed of these jerseys. The team has tried to present itself as a bit more grown-up from its expansion days. This was minimalist to the extreme and a completely uninteresting jersey to wear or remember.
13. 2017 Stars Uniform
In the final year the NBA used adidas as the apparel provider, the Orlando Magic got one final alternate jersey.
It was nothing super special and was perhaps a preview for future trends with jersey design — the use of the secondary logo as the primary draw to the front of the uniform. The overall design though was nothing special and was a bit of a clutter.
In what might have looked better with a collar in a Ralph Lauren catalog, the Magic wore a black jersey with the secondary logo in the middle and a blue and white Northwestern stripe across the middle.
It was a bit cluttered and not particularly appealing overall. If the stripe went all the way across the middle instead of stopping for the logo or wrapped around the entire jersey, the look might have been OK. If a bit preppy.
But very little about this jersey works. Maybe the only thing that works was the striping on the pants. The jersey got its name from the stars on the pants that at least resembled the team’s original jersey.
But this was just not a good alternative to the team’s set.
Trying Something New
While there were some abject failures in the Orlando Magic’s jersey sets. There were at least a few good attempts to try to update the team’s look and make it look more modern.
There was not recapturing the vibe of the Magic’s original uniforms. Those were definitely products of the 1990s. But the team has been willing to admit that pinstripes in some form are part of its legacy.
In the process, the team has been willing to try some new things to make the jersey stand out. At least a few of them got mixed results.
12. 2018 Original Space City Edition
Nike had a bold vision for the NBA’s jerseys. Partly as an attempt to try to sell more jerseys, they changed how teams picked their jerseys and what kinds of jerseys they would wear. The idea of having an ever-rotating alternate jersey was something very new.
There were plenty of hits and misses in that first year. The Miami Heat’s Vice Jersey and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Prince jerseys were among the boldest and most successful. The first attempt for the Magic?
Well, it was OK. It was bold and different. An attempt worth applauding for its originality, if not for its success as a design.
The Magic would pay homage to the space industry that sprung up in Central Florida by printing the team’s secondary logo across a space background. The Magic would literally be wearing the stars they have used in their logo for several years.
The jersey did not sink in as much as they hoped. It was not the most successful of the City Edition jerseys. It looked better in action than it did on paper.
But these jerseys largely did not work.
11. 2020 Statement Edition Blue
The Orlando Magic made one of the biggest changes to its uniform set this year. Not only in introducing the Orange City Edition jersey they will debut Friday, but also in getting rid of their traditional blue road jersey in the new pinstripes format.
The new Statement Edition jerseys are fairly clean. They maintain the look of the traditional blue pinstriped uniforms the Magic have worn since the 2009 season but eliminate some of the clutter of the pinstripes. The blue color is bright and clean and stands out.
This is a good jersey base, at the very least.
The rest of the design is truly in the eye of the beholder. The stars on the side pants with the cascading black pinstriped sashes are a different look. It is not to my favor.
There is a lot to like about this jersey, but it is truly not universally enjoyed.
10. 2019 Space City Edition Version 2
The Orlando Magic’s second attempt at a City Edition was much more muted than its first attempt.
Gone was the team’s space print, replaced with a much plainer black jersey. The space print still went down the side paneling. And it actually kind of worked.
The simpler black background brought the print of the Magic’s secondary logo across the chest out. It made the whole jersey stand out a lot more. It was sleeker and nicer in so many ways.
The jerseys were still fairly boring and simple. The secondary logo still draws some criticism. Especially when it is left alone on the jersey front.
The Magic have stayed pretty quiet with their City Edition jersey designs. They have kept things fairly simple — the color splash this year is the boldest thing and the jersey is still grayish.
But for a second attempt and a riff of the original City Edition jerseys. This was a good first step and a bit of an improvement.
9. 2009-2019 New Pinstriped Blues
8. 2009-Present New Pinstripe Whites
The Orlando Magic opted to change their jerseys before the 2009 season, hoping to create an updated version of their pinstripe uniforms. It was mostly successful. The team’s look felt better than the previous plain jerseys.
But the jerseys were still not quite well-received. They reminded everyone of the beloved original pinstripe jerseys. The font was a bit too futuristic and did not quite fit. Fans still clamor for a new jersey or new logo design to update the team’s look.
This was a good update at the time. And still remains a solid look for the team. A mix of the old and the new. Although it could still use some tweaks.
When it comes to the jersey design, the blue ones felt like the most normal of the group. And that might be why they eventually got relegated to alternate road jersey (replaced with the black uniforms) and are not out of the jersey rotation entirely.
The white jerseys feel a little better. The pinstripes are more pronounced as the gray offsets the white well. And the side-piping works better against white rather than blue.
Absolute Classics
The Orlando Magic have their classic jerseys that everyone loves. There are a few that certainly stand out beyond those universally beloved jerseys. These are uniforms that certainly hold a special place for most fans but are not for everyone.
The team has classic designs that do stand the test of time. Jerseys that fans look forward to seeing again on throwback nights. These are the best of the jerseys the Magic have ever worn. But not the absolute best.
7. 2020-Present City Edition Orange
The Magic will debut their new City Edition jerseys Friday. For the first time, the Magic will try a color scheme change for the first time, donning an anthracite jersey with orange trimming. The court will feature a similar color scheme with orange as the main color.
These jerseys were long-rumored throughout the summer. And honestly, the fear was they would be some bright orange monstrosity. The fact that these came out fairly muted and look decent was a bit of a surprise.
The reaction to the jersey was divided. Plenty did not understand why the Magic would try a color change. Perhaps the claims that these jerseys are somehow bold were a bit overstated.
But honestly, they are growing on me. Seeing them actually on the court will help everyone figure out what to actually make of them. But they look pretty sleek.
Among the Magic’s uniforms, they are not the worst by any means. They may not be the best. And next year’s version may present the bold vision for these uniforms everyone expected.
At least for a City Edition jersey, the Magic struck a decent balance between different and conservative.
6. 2012-Present New Pinstripes Black
When the Orlando Magic introduced their new vision of the pinstripe jerseys, fans were not sold on them entirely. They looked fine but were not near the legend of the classic pinstripes. But everyone knew the potential for a return of a black alternate would help change them a bit and would look good.
Unlike those original jersey sets, when the Magic introduced the black new pinstripe uniforms as an alternate in 2012, everyone universally loved them. It was an idea that felt very natural and everyone looked forward to the team introducing a black alternate of those jerseys.
In almost every way, the black pinstripe uniform was praised. It was bold and brought out the best elements of the new pinstripe uniforms. The black backdrop made the blue and the pinstripes pop.
Perhaps the only criticism is how bright the blue is on the side paneling. But that is perhaps a small quibble. The blue pops against the black and displays the Magic’s full color palate.
It is no wonder these became a permanent part of the Magic’s jersey rotation as the Icon Edition jersey. It even now comes with a black pinstripe court that has yet to make its debut on the Amway Center floor.
5. 1999-2003 Stars White
The most under-appreciated jersey in the Magic’s jersey grouping is the Tracy McGrady-era jerseys that immediately followed the beloved pinstripes. It is tough to follow a great and these jersey designs are starting to get their due.
Fans are starting to call for the team to wear them as a throwback design. For whatever reason, these jerseys have been locked away in the vault.
At least for the first few years, the Magic’s jersey became much simpler and cleaner with the Magic font (perhaps a bit cartoonish, but muted compared to the other jerseys NBA teams were sporting in the time).
But the unique feature was how the team in-laid a star pattern in the jersey. It was unique and subtle. And it stood out.
There was some reporting that it did not absorb sweat particularly well. The team did change the jersey to get rid of some of the star design. But these jerseys are getting a second life.
Maybe the Magic will one day give it to them.
4. 1990-98 Black Pinstripes
The Orlando Magic’s original jersey set is still the envy of the league. Seeing those jerseys walking around makes it instantly identifiable with the team and its glory days from the mid-1990s. The team will forever be chasing these jerseys and their perfection.
Ranking them against each other is tough. But I have to put the black pinstripes as the worst of the bunch. The muted colors and black and white nature of it does not feel as iconic as its blue and white brethren.
It is still a fantastic jersey. But as several 1990s retrospective specials note, black pinstripes do not do anyone favors. Just look at Stanley Roberts.
The Magic hit gold on their original jersey set. It was simple and distinctive. These jerseys still stand the test of time.
The black jerseys though are probably the ones the team will wear less. They may always go back to the other designs over these black jerseys. They are just kind of plain compared to the others. Not in a good way.
At least we will always have the original warmups to go with them.
The best of the best
The Orlando Magic’s best uniforms are simple and unique. They scream the franchise and create warm memories about the team.
Yes, the play on the court matters, but the aesthetic created about the team is complemented with the uniforms they wear. These jerseys are the most iconic. When one pictures the Orlando Magic, they are most likely wearing one of these uniforms.
These are the jerseys everyone clamors for and wishes would return. These are the jerseys the Mitchell & Ness crowd seek out and wear.
For a 30-year franchise, the Magic have more than a few designs that should be in this set. These are the perfection the Magic will always be chasing with every subsequent design. Good luck catching up.
3. 1990-98 White Pinstripes
The Orlando Magic’s original home uniforms are as perfect as a pinstriped uniform can get. They are bold and certainly a product of the 1990s — they would probably get panned today for being too stuffy and old fashioned or too loud in a certain way.
But for an expansion franchise, they were the perfect statement. They were the perfect way to introduce the team to the world and get eyeballs.
From the original Magic font to the bold pinstripes to even the original home warmups (a classic Magic wear that does not get enough attention as it is). The white pinstripes are still a bold statement when the Magic do crack them out as a throwback uniform.
There is a reason everyone still calls for these jerseys. There is a reason this is perfection.
Maybe it is just nostalgia. But the white pinstripe uniforms are still the best take on the white jersey the Magic have ever had.
2. 1999-2003 Stars Blue
The Orlando Magic transitioned fully to blue during its 1995 Finals run. But they fully embraced blue only a few years after.
With their second jersey design, the team fully pushed blue in its color palate. The black jerseys had already been cycled completely out (that was apparently a league-wide directive).
The second blue jersey was truly a unique one. It brought out better the intricate star design that was inlaid into the fabric. The stars shimmered brighter against the blue background rather than the home white background.
Orlando would change these uniforms to get rid of the stars. That sort of killed the vibe.
But in hindsight, these jerseys shined pretty brightly for the team. Pun intended.
These jerseys stood out. And while the design was simpler than the Magic’s first pinstripe uniforms, these jerseys still stood out.
They are not as beloved as the pinstripe uniforms. The Magic’s lack of success wearing them means they are probably not going to create a wave of nostalgia for a throwback night. But these jerseys have gained some appreciation for being unique and simple. A jersey fans still want to see come back out of retirement in some way.
More than any other jersey, these uniforms integrated the Magic’s logo into the jersey in unique and memorable ways. It just felt natural.
1. 1995-98 Blue Pinstripes
The Orlando Magic’s classic pinstripe design was already one of the best and most beloved jerseys in the league. Somehow the Magic topped perfection with their first minor tweak.
The team introduced a blue alternate jersey during the team’s run the 1995 NBA Finals. Not only did the players pop on the court, but the jerseys were bold and daring. More than any other uniform, they made the pinstripes and the font sing.
These are the jerseys everyone thinks of when they think of the Orlando Magic. These are the jerseys that define the team and its history.
Somehow the Magic made a perfect jersey more perfect. And this is the right mix of appreciating the team’s history and making a bold statement.
Orlando’s blue pinstripes are the best uniform. When the team reaches back to do a classic jersey, this is what they grab out of the closet. And for good reason.
This jersey showcases and reminds fans of everything great about this team. A perfect fashion statement.
What is your favorite jersey? What direction should the Magic go with their next uniform? Let us know in the comments or online @omagicdaily on Twitter.