How the Mavericks new City Edition jersey matches up with the rest

The Dallas Mavericks took the time between the chaos of the NBA Draft and Free Agency and Training Camp on December 1 to announce their jersey options for this season. For a while now fans and designers have been dying for a brand revamp in Dallas. Though that doesn’t appear to be on the horizon any time soon, the Mavericks did at least listen to the cries to green it back. Splendid news indeed.

Their final reveal was the Mavericks City Edition jersey, a nod to the legacy of the team and the longstanding neon Pegasus downtown.

Now that we have a collection of city jerseys it seemed fitting to determine where these rank among the group. In May we took a look at another collection of Mavericks jerseys, three of which were representatives of the city line. Using a scoring system of one through ten, these were the guidelines:

• Color Scheme: How do the colors on the jersey work together? Would someone be able to look at this jersey and know it’s the Dallas Mavericks?
• Statement: What kind of impact does this jersey make? Is this jersey creative, classic, cutting edge? Will I remember this jersey 25 years from now? ...is that a good thing?
• Would I Buy: Self explanatory.

On to the scoring, let us know your scores in the comments below!

The Grey Silence (2018-19)

CS: 6

S: 4

WIB: 3

Total: 13

I keep wanting to like these. As I said in the last ranking, I defended when they were first released. I thought it was at least an attempt at creativity and I like the way the blue pops. But it pops up because of the void created by the grey. It’s just a non-jersey and it makes me sad.

I’ve updated my score a bit, because I still enjoy the blue combination here — a diversion from the standard Mavs blue we’re accustomed to and a decent usage of the Mavericks typically busy logo. But the lack of a statement here, and my desire to never own this means it’s still at the bottom.

It’s no surprise that the design team over-compensated the following season with the Fresh Prince explosion. Speaking of...

The Carlton (2019-20)

CS: 6

S: 5

WIB: 5

Total: 16

I’ve updated this score as well. Some of this is appreciating the effort it takes to make this sort of statement. It’s a lot, but at least they tried. Also this jersey didn’t look awful when it was paired with the Mavericks home graffiti court.

Nevertheless, this one messy. I think they could have done themselves a favor by doing away with the gradient and just picking a blue, and also by using something other than power point for the ‘Mavs’ font. But I did bump my “Would I Buy” score this time around because, upon reflection, yes I may buy this one: for nostalgia, and just in case I have to dress up as the white rapper from Sister Act 2 in the future.

The Pit Stop (2017-18)

CS: 9

S: 4

WIB: 4

Total: 17

The black-blue-green combo here is by far the best color palette the Mavericks have tried with these city alternates. It’s a departure from their standard scheme, and it pops really well. Is it boring? Yes, without a doubt. Does the blocky D-A-L look like the generic sports hat you’d buy at a gas station off I-35? Absolutely. The color is carrying a lot of weight here, so it finds itself higher in the rankings.

The Skyline (introduced 2015)

CS: 7

S: 6

WIB: 7

Total: 20

To be clear, these are not official City alternates, but in its own way it was the original city alternate. The Mavericks held a contest back in 2013 to debut new jerseys in 2015, and these were the winners (if I’m being honest, I think there a few of the other finalists I like more).

I was a huge fan of these when they were released. For a moment, it felt like the Mavericks were moving toward a more interesting design scheme and branching out from the basics. If there’s one thing to nitpick here it’s how congested the front of the jersey is. I think they could have actually just had the skyline with no ‘Dallas’ underneath. In my head, that would bump this score to the mid-20’s.

The Pegasus (2020-21)

CS: 8

S: 6

WIB: 8

Total: 22

The new jersey release called “Legacy is Everything”, gives a nod to the legacy of the team celebrating 40 years and the legacy of the Pegasus in Dallas. When the first leaked photo came out weeks ago the jersey looked dull and ill-designed. Forgettable at best. But I’ve learned over the last several years that you have to wait to make a judgement call until we see it worn by a player.

This jersey pops a lot more than I expected. While the silver doesn’t stand out well against the gold piping and white background, it’s simplistic and straight forward design is actually a strength. I don’t love the ‘Dallas’ font, but I am a fan of the numbers, which stray from past Mavericks’ design. But what puts this over the top for me is the unique wing design along the side panel. I didn’t notice it from the front-facing photos, but I think it ties the jersey together without overpowering. I’m closing my eyes and dreaming of Luka stepback game winners, or Josh Green lobs, the wings lifting him above the rim at the AAC.

It’s not as unique or trendy as some other City jerseys floating around the league, but a clean jersey all around. And are we too proud to pander at least a little to Luka Doncic’s own legacy? No we are not.