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Welcome back to NBA247365.COM’s countdown of the top 20 NBA uniforms of all-time!  About a week ago, I got the list started by posting selections 20 through 16.  If you missed it, click here before moving on to the next five.

#15: Chicago Bulls (1973-1985)***

The pleasing aesthetics of black and red along with a gorgeous cursive font simply compliment the fact that Michael Jordan happened to rock this look during his inaugural NBA season.  The Bulls decided to change things up just one year into MJ’s career, but still… this is the rookie card of MJ jerseys; and even if it wasn’t, it still would’ve looked nice.

#14: Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-1996)*

With the exception of the ’94 dunk contest, there’s not much winning to speak of here.  That being said, I still consider the Wolves’ original look a success.  The font was angular and aggressive, but it was also bold and readable.  The color scheme was unorthodox, but it worked.  It wasn’t the Minnesota uniform that would become synonymous with the relatively-glorious Kevin Garnett era, but “Da Kid” did wear it when he was, well, a kid (the youngest player ever to have taken an NBA court, as a matter of fact).  And there was that ’94 dunk contest, which featured J.R. Rider, the road blues, and the East Bay Funk Dunk.

#13: Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002)*

You collect jerseys?  You have a pinstriped L. Johnson joint.  You may not have the white, the purple, and the teal… but you have at least one of the above.  It’s pretty much requisite.  In all seriousness, this was one of the illest color schemes ever to hit the hardwood.  The home, the road, and the alternate were all fly as f@ck (I’ve yet to determine which is my absolute favorite, though I tend to lean towards the teal), and the fact that a man with the swag of Larry Johnson sported this uni only bolsters its classic standing.

#12: Orlando Magic (1989-1998)*

While the pinstripe Magic jerseys were fire in their own right (always loved the font, the sparkling star in place of the “A”), it’s the shorts that I really like.  Of all the uniforms to make this list, this one probably features my favorite trunks.  The picture I chose doesn’t provide you with the best look, but you know how the trim follows the contour of the stars on each side?  I think that little design cue sets them off.

#11: San Antonio Spurs (1976-1982)*

As they have throughout Duncan’s championship dynasty, San Antonio’s home whites featured the spur on the bottom of the “U.”  The look was carried over from the ABA, which is really cool (I’m failing to come up with any other ABA uniform that maintains any semblance of life in 2012).  As for the road jerseys… those have long been gone, but they were black and white (and a touch of silver) done right.  “Clean” is the adjective that comes to mind.  Maybe “smooth,” too… kinda like Ice Man’s finger roll.

*Denotes a personal favorite.

**Denotes an iconic uniform.

***Denotes a “player-made” style.

Embedded above is a video of Amare Stoudemire running through a couple of drills with Hakeem Olajuwon, who has now worked out with 86% of the active NBA.  While the video does show Amare Stoudemire putting a ball in the hoop, I’m pretty confident he only posted it in order to show off his latest fashion statement, which, apparently, is short shorts.

Why this man can’t focus on defense and rebounding like he does his quest to become some sort of fashion icon?  I haven’t a clue.  At this point, I’m actually wondering if basketball has become but a vehicle for Amare to express his worldliness, his sophistication, and his progressive tastes.  I seriously wonder this.  I recall watching that show with Ahmad Rashad on NBATV, and this dude STAT seemed way more passionate about fancy food and fruity clothes than he does about basketball.

Or maybe he’s just well-rounded.  Except he wears short shorts, so I refuse to give him the benefit of any sort of doubt.

Official –Swag-O-Meter– Rating:

0/5

Bring the effort back to the court, STAT.  Swag comes naturally, not by force.  Only when you realize this—when you stop trying so goddamned hard—will you stop looking like a fruitcake.

One of the first times I ever saw Rajon Rondo play was in a preseason game against the New York Knicks.  This was in 2006, his rookie season, which was obviously before he’d established himself as one of the more unique playmakers in the NBA.  Knowing little about college basketball, I had no real impression of Rondo.  I’d heard he was an athlete, and I knew he’d been sent to the Celtics via the Suns, who selected him in the latter part of the first round.  That was about it.

I look back on this aforementioned game against the Knicks and realize that even after watching it I had absolutely no feel for Rondo’s talent.  Maybe that’s because I couldn’t get past his ups.

Watch ya head, David Lee!

So here I am back in ’06 thinking Rajon Rondo’s gonna be pulling off ridiculous feats of athleticism to find his way into every weekly top 10.  Pan out like that it did not; but, in true Rondo fashion, he still finds creative ways to show us that there’s more to what he does than ball handling wizardry.  For example, here he is leaping onto to the top of what appears to be… well, I don’t really know what it is, but it’s a tall object that most human beings couldn’t mount with such ease.

It appears that this object is at least as tall as the top of Rondo’s chest.  That would probably make it, what, nearly five feet?

Ballin’ jumpin’ on these b!tches boxes like I’m Rondo!

Rims objects taller than a bulldozer!

The Basketball Jones: Leandro Barbosa does Andres Nocioni like Tony Skinn did James Harden and some dude did Deron Williams.  Remember those “NBA Street Series” DVDs from back when AND1 was running sh!t?  Yeah, well, by the time these Olympic Games wrap up we’ll have been provided with enough footage to compile another volume and kick start the old fad.

Huffington Post: Nicolas Batum basically punched Juan Carlos Navarro in the nuts yesterday.  He claims to have done it because he “wanted to give Spain a reason to flop.”  Watch this video of Rudy Fernandez (it’s a shame that it doesn’t include the telling replay angle, but you can just know what an act it was based on his history) and you’ll probably want to go punch someone in the nuts, too.  While I don’t condone what Batum did, I was more disgusted by Fernandez.

USA Today: Tone can be tough to detect when quotes are put into writing.  Scroll about halfway down.  If you hate Kobe, hate him some more.  If you love Kobe, fawn over his confidence.  If you don’t really care, assume he said it all with a sarcastic grin on his face and continue on with your day.

Ball Don’t Lie: You’re a kid who thinks he’s won a pair of autographed Dwyane Wade sneakers at Michael Jordan’s Flight School camp.  You take a photo and post it on Twitter, then you get a mention from D-Wade himself.  Pretty much your best day ever… until you realize why Wade has contacted you: to inform that the signature is fake.  Unless this kid bought a pair of Wade’s sneakers, forged the signature himself, and made up a story to impress his friends (which is entirely possible), then I feel pretty bad for him.  In the case that the camp actually gave him the sneakers, well… then MJ is as big a douche as we already know he is.

SLAM: Speaking of basketball camps, for just $375 you can “receive basketball instruction” from Terrell Harris, “develop life skills” with Dennis Rodman, and “spend quality time” with Tim Hardaway.  Sign me up!

Commercial Appeal: This story of Zach Randolph donating $10,000 to rescue/rehabilitate an injured pit bull has warmed the collective heart of the internet over the past few days.  Not to be that guy… but conduct a google search of “Zach Randolph dog fighting.”  While you’re at it, search “Qyntel Woods dog fighting,” and realize that he and Randolph still maintain a friendship from their days of Jail Blazing.  As much as I’ve enjoyed Z-Bo’s tenure with the Grizz, I still can’t say I’m sold on his new-and-improved degree of character.

Charlotte Observer: Michael Jordan has rich friends, such as Tiger Woods.  Naturally, he offers them minority interest in his professional basketball team, the Charlotte Bobcats.  Obviously, they decline (scroll to the bottom).

DIME: “So, what did you do today?”  “Uh, not much, man… went to the store, hit up the gym, dunked on an NBA player…”  “HOLD UP, you did WHAT?!“  “Yeah, man… Jerry Stackhouse!”  “oh.”

Twitter: Team USA poses with Ludacris.  A moment prior to taking the photo, Luda told Kevin Durant to “move, bitch” so that everyone would be in the frame.  Durant didn’t take kindly to the rapper’s demand, muttering “munchkin” as LeBron James dragged him into the picture.

IAMAGM: If Carmelo Anthony ever lost a game of one on one, he doesn’t remember.

When watching the Olympic basketball tournament one of my most frequent exclamations is always something along the lines of “hey, I remember that guy!”

This year especially, what with the record number of participants with NBA experience, it’s been exciting to catch up with all of the former second-round picks, Summer League All-Stars, and other interesting characters who have made their way to London since enjoying a cup of coffee in the NBA.

This morning, whilst observing highlights of France vs Nigeria, I happened across a video of former Supersonic Mickael Gelabale assisting current Wizard Kevin Seraphin on a one-handed slam dunk.  A fairly impressive play by the 48th overall selection of the 2005 NBA draft, but neither the ball fake nor the wrap-around dish were what really piqued my interest.  As a matter of fact, what I couldn’t help but notice here had nothing to do with basketball at all—it was the absence of Gelabale’s dreadlocks, which once put those of Lil Jon (this was before Waka Flocka, kids) to shame.

Those who stayed up late to watch the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft (featuring Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver!) know.  Gelabale, who stuck around for his handshake and photo op, stormed the stage with hair so massive his Supersonics cap was forced to rest comically atop the pile of dreads.

It was a memorable balancing act by the hat, and an unforgettable moment in draft fashion history; exactly the type of thing that turns commentators into comedians and keeps diehard fans like me happily tuned in through the final couple of picks.

I guess that’s all.  With Gelabale’s remarkable dreads having gone the way of his 109-game NBA career it simply felt necessary to celebrate their legend.  Even if they didn’t leave you with such a lasting impression (or if you didn’t bother with the second round of the ’05 draft/the Supersonics circa ’05-’07) I think it’s clear that these dreads were of the epic variety.  In all seriousness, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an object so large and unruly attached to any man’s head.

And here’s Gelabale jumping over a Sonics cheerleader, because that was his role.

With a $20 million contract to play basketball alongside Ricky Rubio and a wife that compares infidelity to pizza, Andrei Kirilenko is undeniably one of the luckiest people in the history of mankind.  On this day, though, he’s been forced to suffer the agony of defeat, meaning he and his Russian teammates are no longer unbeaten in London.  As you can see in the video above, they lost to Patty Mills and the Australians on a buzzer-beating three-point dagger.

Mills had shot just 4-15 prior to sinking the game-winner, but a beautifully-executed give-and-go which utilized a poorly-defended screen freed Australia’s leading scorer for as clean a look as one could possibly wish for.

Tough break for Russia, but you ought not worry about Andrei.  He’s still a top-10 scorer in these Olympics, Russia had already clinched the top spot in group B, and that scary coach from Utah is nowhere to be found.

As for Patty Mills and company… other results failed to go their way, which means they still face certain death at the hands of the USA in the quarterfinals.  Still, Mills figures to finish his summer having had a more impressive Olympic tournament than the man he backs up, Tony Parker.  While that doesn’t really mean anything, it probably feels good, I suppose.

To many, a basketball jersey represents a fashion trend that expired about five or six years ago.  To us, a basketball jersey represents something much less superficial: it represents history, that of both the team on the front and the player on the back.  Being the NBA fanatics that we are, we also understand that not all uniforms are created equal.  That’s why I, a longtime collector of NBA memorabilia with a focus on jerseys, have chosen to list my top 20 uniforms of all-time (ABA & All-Star not included).

In order to construct this list as objectively as possible, I broke my selections down into three categories: 10 personal favorites, 6 iconic styles, and 4 “player-made” looks (a uniform that became legendary thanks in large part to a great player who wore it).  Being that half of my selections are still based solely upon my opinion, the list remains highly subjective… but I’m confident that you’ll find it to be well thought out and reasonably put together.

The list will be presented in four different posts, five styles a piece.  Let us begin with numbers 20 through 16…

#20: Philadelphia 76ers (1997-2007)***

There are a few things I don’t like about this uniform.  For one, it had those wide shoulders (in the beginning it didn’t, but for many years it did) that made it look like a replica.  It was also constructed using that shiny material that half the league once employed, and while I’ve liked that look in the case of other teams, it was “too 2000″ (can’t believe I just said that) in conjunction with the Sixers’ wide-shouldered shape.  However, this was the outfit of a cultural superhero—Allen Iverson’s Batman ensemble, if you will.  I grew up in Boston Celtics territory, yet I saw no jersey worn more frequently than Sixers #3 as a youth.  Allen Iverson made his tank top into a fashion statement, and for this reason it ekes out a spot on the list.

#19: Los Angeles Lakers (1960-1966)*

The Lakers actually sported this style during the longest championship drought in the entire existence of their franchise, so the history here isn’t exactly the kind we associate with the purple & gold.  I suppose that’s why they made these white & blue.  Losing (and joking) aside, these looked really nice.  The combination of dark and light blues worked as well as it has in North Carolina, and cursive fonts are always a plus.  I had the Jerry West throwback with the matching pinwheel cap when I was in middle school, and let me assure you that I was the freshest youngster on the block when I went to that combo.

#18: San Diego Clippers (1978-1984)*

I must admit that this uniform looked pretty nauseating on the likes of Bill Walton and Swen Nater, but when Quentin Richardson brought it back with a baggier cut, the color-matched XIIs, and a set of matching socks and sweatbands… he really set it off.  Had Quentin’s Clippers actually worn these full-time they’d have easily made my top five, regardless of Clipper history.

#17: Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-2000)*

A teal and red color scheme accompanied by a rabid grizzly bear and tribal trim… I don’t know how it worked, but I think it did.  Maybe not for Mike Bibby or Big Country, but for Michael Dickerson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.  If the discussion was simply about logos I’d have ranked the Vancouver Grizzlies even higher, and I think most would agree.  The uniforms get stuck at #17 because I can understand why they didn’t float everyone’s boat.

#16: Portland Trail Blazers (1977-now)*

Minor changes have been made, but the Blazers have basically been wearing the same uniform for the past three and a half decades.  Although they won their only title in vertically-lettered jerseys, this long-standing look is a classic that has spanned a variety of memorable eras.  From Bill Walton, to Clyde Drexler, to Rasheed Wallace, to Brandon Roy, each and every Blazer great has worn this style.  It’s a timeless look, really… still one of my favorites the league has to offer.

*Denotes a personal favorite.

**Denotes an iconic uniform.

***Denotes a “player-made” style.

Note: Sportlogos.net was a resource I used a lot during the making of this list.  If you’re ever looking for an image of an NBA uniform or logo, Sportslogos.net is most certainly the place to go.

To be continued…

If any member of Team USA had a rough go of things during yesterday’s historic 83-point victory over Nigeria, it was James Harden.  In going 3-8, Harden was the only American who failed to make half his shots, and he also got crossed to the floor by Tony Skinn (if you somehow missed this, please refer to the video above).  Considering what little damage Nigeria inflicted, I think it’s fair to say James Harden took the brunt of the blow.

Today, JR Smith (via Twitter, of course) asked The Bearded One exactly what happened just before he hit the deck.  Harden responded as quickly as he did predictably, essentially stating that the dog ate his homework.  Here’s their interaction from earlier this afternoon…

The floor?  Man, that’s the Olympic basketball court.  Although I’ve never stepped on it, I’m pretty sure they keep it pristine… and with guys playing limited minutes while in cruise control it’s unreasonable to suspect a sweat puddle out near the top of the key.

As for the sneakers, I’m going to go ahead and suggest a new policy for that excuse: those who get unlimited Nikes for free complete with their initials stitched into the tongue may not blame their footwear for any on-court mishap.

The verdict: crossed, and crossed badly.  Poor excuses too.  I would’ve been more inclined to believe that his foot got stepped on, or that he slipped on the same banana peel that killed the O’Doyles.

On Friday, August 10th Reebok will re-release Allen Iverson’s most iconic signature shoe, the Answer IV, which he sported throughout the 2000/01 season.  The shoe is a certified classic… an iconic throwback to the absolute height of Iverson’s legend.  During the season of the Answer IV we saw AI lead the league in scoring (31.1 PPG), win All-Star and regular season MVP awards, and carry his Sixers to the Finals.

While Iverson’s famed David vs Goliath run did not result in the elusive title he never was able to capture, it did lead to one of the most memorable games in the history of the NBA Playoffs.  On the opening night of Finals, pitted against a Laker squad that hadn’t yet lost a postseason contest, Iverson took the floor at the Staples Center and poured in 48 points in a performance that epitomized the heart and soul of the game we love.

With a two-point lead and under a minute to go in overtime, Iverson’s Sixers needed but a dagger to leave the arena with a surprising victory.  Iverson, with Tyronn Lue draped all over him, took it upon himself to deliver the field goal… and deliver it he did.

In his Answer IVs, Iverson put the ball on the hardwood and executed one of the most memorable crossovers to date.  As he sunk the shot and arrogantly stepped over the fallen soldier he’d just slain, AI completed the finest moment of his soon-to-be Hall Of Fame career.  In doing so, he happened to put the focus on his feet, elevating the legend of his sneakers along with that of himself.

Many, including myself, consider Iverson one of the most influential basketball players ever to lace ‘em up.  The impact he made both on and off the court was like that of few others, and although he’s no longer in the league, his presence remains in every crossover, tattoo, and arm sleeve.

And it can remain on your feet come next Friday.  I don’t get nearly as gassed up over sneaker releases as I used to, but to see this shoe for sale in [something very close to] its original form… I’ve got to have it.  This is basketball history for $115.  These days, you can’t but a f@cking pair of those Frankenstein Jordans for that.

In addition to the shoe itself becoming available again, one of the coolest things about this re-release is that it briefly brings Iverson back to the spotlight.  Recently, he discussed the crossover on Lue (with whom he now considers himself “best of friends”), his MVP award, and the authenticity of his image.  Check it out…

Well, for me personally… he hit the nail on the head.  Iverson has always been someone I admire for the way he’s stayed true to himself.  Every time the man opens his mouth the f@cking realness just emanates from his voice.  Say what you will about the way he conducted his business on and off the court, the way his career came to a close… but for a six-foot basketball player who was completely unwilling to conform… well, his accomplishments speak for themselves.

***The shoe will be available in limited quantities at retailers such as Foot Locker, Finish Line, and Champs.

***Please, Reebok, give new life to the original white/red colorway.

***NBA247365.COM will be printing a t-shirt that goes along with the Answer IV re-release.  I’ve placed the order, but I’m not exactly sure how long it’ll be before I get them (should be within the next few weeks).  If you’re interested in purchasing one (there will only be a few), contact me via Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail (admin@nba247365.com).