We’ve all been there: you’re out with the guys at the bar one summer night or enjoying a relaxing day at the beach. Your friend grabs your arm and yells out “Bro, did you see that?” You see it in the distance, catching your eye instantly. It is completely mesmerizing, you almost cannot even believe that in this crazy world something so perfect such as this still exists. It is of course: the perfect summer throwback jersey.
Everyone under 40 loves a good jersey and even if someone says they don’t, they secretly do. Jerseys bring back memories of big games, championship seasons and joyous childhood moments. Even bad jersey purchases have the potential to teach you life lessons (I personally could and probably will write an entire piece on this). The following list is a guide of NBA jerseys from the 90’s to early 2000’s to look out for this summer. This is the cream of the crop. If you see someone out this summer in any of these beauties, be sure to go dap that guy up. If you have the chance to get one of these for yourself, do it.
In making this list I took the following into consideration: first, obviously is the jersey has to look good, so several teams were eliminated right off the bat. Sorry Celtics and Lakers fans, enjoy all those rings because your jerseys are pretty boring. Next, the player had to be good, and that eliminates my beloved Kwame Brown Wizards jersey. Finally, the player had to have some appeal to him. Sorry John Stockton, you didn’t quite make the cut. Without further ado, here are the top jerseys for the summer:
- Mike Bibby 1999-2000 Green Grizzlies Jersey
The Grizzlies’ time in Vancouver was anything but successful, never winning more than 23 games in a season before relocating to Memphis. What the franchise did accomplish while in Vancouver was a jersey that could be described as hideous or brilliant depending on your mood at the time. I am on team brilliant when it comes to these jerseys, the bear claw on the shorts seals the deal for me. There wasn’t much talent putting these jerseys on every night, but young Mike Bibby was good enough his rookie year to get his number 10 jersey into the top 10.
- Jason Richardson 2002-2003 Blue Warriors Jersey
The defending world champs have great uniforms currently, but people sleep on how good these were. J-Rich was the face of a very exciting although not very successful Warriors team. Richardson did win a dunk contest wearing this jersey giving its ranking an overall boost.
- Dikembe Mutombo 1991-93 White Rainbow Nuggets Jersey
Everyone loves Dikembe. From the finger wag to his brilliant Geico commercials, there is no doubt Dikembe is the man. The Nuggets blew it when they changed from these jerseys to a plain Jane jersey and they blew it when they let Dikembe walk in free agency without getting anything in return. At least Denver has the Broncos going for them.
- Steve Francis 2000-2003 Blue Cartoon Rockets Jersey
Some may call these jerseys tacky, I prefer to call them amazing. You just can’t beat that logo. Stevie Franchise was the man when he played in Houston and despite his post playing career not going so well, this jersey is still an all-timer.
- Jerry Stackhouse 1998-2003 Teal Pistons Jersey
You could go with a Grant Hill version of this jersey and still be fine, but I’ll go with the attitude that Stack played with when he was getting buckets in the Motor City. I love the teal and the logo design; this was the glory days of NBA jerseys.
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim 2002-2003 Black Alternate Hawks Jersey
This is a case where the jersey might be better than the player. Abdur-Rahim was a very skilled offensive player in his prime, but the only playoff appearance on his resume came as a bench player for the Kings late in his career. It is still hard to beat the “shaREEF” on the back of this jersey.
- Dennis Rodman 1996-1998 Black Alternate Bulls Jersey
There may not be a better fit for a player than the black Bulls alternate jersey is for Rodman. This is the ultimate rebel without a cause jersey. The Bulls’ jerseys have never been the best looking, but Rodman brings a pretty solid jersey to a whole new level.
- Shawn Kemp 1996-1997 Green Sonics Jersey
It is sad this team and these jerseys no longer exist. It is also sad that Shawn Kemp left Seattle for Cleveland and discovered what a buffet is in the process. Despite all that, there are very few jerseys that can top this legend. A Gary Payton or Kevin Durant is a solid Sonics jersey to rock as well.
- Allen Iverson 1998-2007 Black 76ers Jersey
You cannot kill the classics and nothing says early 2000’s NBA like ‘The Answer’. Honor the newest Basketball Hall of Fame member not just this summer, but every chance you get.
- Vince Carter 1999-2000 Purple “Dino” Raptors Jersey
This is the GOAT of jerseys. There is no debate.
-Randy Haines
Photo Credits (in order of apperance) – sportskeeda.com, nbalive.com, Andrew D. Bernstein/NBA/Getty Images, Jon SooHoo/NBAE/Getty Images, NBA.com, sportslogo.net, basketballjerseyworld.com, precoid.com, Lui Kit Wong Photo, SLAMOnline, Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Image
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