Ranking NBA teams ABA-style uniforms in honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic merger

On Monday, four NBA teams unveiled ABA-style uniforms for the upcoming season. The Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs unveiled new Classic Edition uniforms to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 NBA-ABA (American Basketball Association) merger. That calls for some uniform rankings.

These are clean and classic.

The Spurs uniforms are a direct reproduction of the team’s original home look from their early years in San Antonio. One interesting detail is the arched “Spurs” wordmark on the chest exactly as it was worn by the first players to ever represent the city in 1973 after relocating from Dallas.

Jordan Mandelkorn, Vice President of Marketing, Creative and Retail for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, stated that honoring their ABA roots through this uniform provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the history that shaped both the Spurs and the city of San Antonio. He emphasized that the season-long celebration—which includes a matching throwback court design featuring the ABA 50th-anniversary logo—will successfully connect generations of fans to the franchise’s past while carrying that legacy into the future.

This look was originally made famous during the legendary George Gervin era at the downtown HemisFair Arena. The team has scheduled the jersey to debut on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, against the Dallas Mavericks at the Frost Bank Center, kicking off the first of nine scheduled “Classic Nights” throughout the season.

Also, the shorts may be the best of the bunch. The black diamond backdrop framing the classic cowboy spur really nails the retro look. I’m a big fan.

These just don’t pass the vibe check.

The Nuggets city edition uniforms this season swap out the franchise’s traditional navy and gold for a drab orange design. This uniform honors the team’s late 1960s and early 1970s heritage when they competed in the ABA.

The jersey features an arched “Denver” wordmark across the chest in black lettering with a white outline. It’s simple and underwhelming. The shorts showcase a bold black Rockets logo on the left leg, paying homage to the team’s original 1967 launch identity as the Denver Rockets before rebranding to the Nuggets. Again, simple and bland.

Alongside the uniform rollout, the organization announced a corresponding specialty throwback court at Ball Arena to match the vintage aesthetic during designated games.

The team will officially debut the retro threads on Sunday, December 27, 2026, during a home matchup against the Indiana Pacers, whose uniforms I’ll be talking about in a minute, marking the first of nine total regular-season games (seven at home and two on the road) where the Nuggets will wear this commemorative look.

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Final thought: They should’ve left these in the past.

Bright, clean, classic, but reminds me too much of the Atlanta Hawks early 70s uniforms.

The Indiana Pacers 2026–27 Classic Edition uniform pays direct homage to the franchise’s powerhouse era in the ABA. The commemorative uniform replicates the team’s iconic 1971–74 road design. The vibrant royal blue jerseys feature a clean, blocky, white “Indiana” wordmark arched across the chest.

The gold numbering, along with a single gold racing stripe wrapping around the armholes, and a distinct gold-and-white striping pattern running down the right side of both the jersey and the shorts. It’s a classic look, but I can’t get past the fact that this looks far too similar to one of my favorite jerseys of all time: The 1970-72 Atlanta Hawks jersey, especially the Pete Maravich jersey featuring his nickname “Pistol.”

The best detail is the vintage 1967 logo featured on the shorts with a cartoonish white hand, holding a basketball that looks more like a tennis ball inside the letter “P.”

The team officially announced that the players will wear these retro threads for 15 games throughout the season, including seven designated home dates at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For those seven home matchups, the franchise is introducing a custom throwback court design and an entirely unique, retro game-night experience.

This is a uniform that feels retro, authentic and unique.

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The Brooklyn Nets 2026–27 Classic Edition uniform is a revival of the iconic New York Nets design, paying direct homage to the franchise’s legendary ABA roots.

The uniforms’ red, white and blue colorway pair perfectly with an ABA patriotic colored, period-specific basketball. The clean white jersey, with those American colors, also features side paneling with retro stars, replicating the look made famous by Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving when he led the team to ABA championships in 1974 and 1976.

To complement the uniform, the organization is introducing a matching throwback court design at the Barclays Center. The team is scheduled to officially debut the retro threads on Opening Night, Wednesday, October 21, 2026, against the Charlotte Hornets.

This is a jersey I’d easily add to my collection. Now I just need to figure out what player’s jersey to get.

Overall, these are solid designs that properly honor the rich history of the leagues who joined forces half a century ago. One thing is for sure: These uniforms are much better than the Specter Edition Uniforms that Nike and the NBA unveiled in September. Those are atrocious.