New Orleans Pelicans rumors: 2024-25 NBA Nike City edition jerseys leaked

Ever since Nike took over the NBA's branding rights from Adidas beginning with the 2017-18 season, the release of their annual new City Edition jerseys has been an offseason event for the league. Every year, each team gets a new unique alternate kit that Nike has labeled "City Editions." So far, the results have mostly varied between atrocious and decent, although a select few gems have come out through the years.

Fans have mostly balked at the idea of a new jersey every year, primarily because most of the new releases have been either uninspired or outright ugly in the eyes of many. When first announced, the idea of Nike taking over the branding of the NBA was well received, as the company had been dominating the sports apparel scene for decades leading up to that point. Many of the game's biggest stars were already sponsored by Nike, and they had a large collection of beloved individual shoes, including LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant.

That has only made it more disappointing that the majority of Nike's City Edition jerseys have been forgettable, with many of them being complete abominations that the company should want to disappear from fans' memories. If these latest leaks are true, and they appear to be so far, this year's New Orleans Pelicans City Editions are not exceptions to the rule so far.

Nike should stop releasing City Edition jerseys every year

Like most of Nike's City Edition kits, the Pelicans 2024-25 versions aren't horrendous, but they aren't exactly showstoppers either. The design leans on the more simplistic side, brandishing just NOLA across the chest, without any hint of the team's logo. The jerseys are navy with gold trim, subtly featuring bones in an arrowhead pattern as a nod to the Voodoo culture of the Big Easy, similar to last year's theme.

The entire league's City Editions can be found @EldenMonitor on Twitter. Of the 30 new jerseys, I'd personally say there are eight good ones: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Orlando Magic, the Toronto Raptors, the Phoenix Suns, and the Utah Jazz. Compared to years past, that's actually a decent showing for Nike.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few stinkers as well: the Brooklyn Nets, the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. The rest of the jerseys are either boring or retreads of old designs. That last detail especially hammers in the case that Nike shouldn't be releasing 30 new kits every single year, as it's becoming increasingly apparent that their designers are running out of original and aesthetically pleasing ideas.

Nike is likely trying to make these City Editions into collectibles, as their one-year lifespan caps their market saturation. However, due to the sheer quantity of the designs, the quality has clearly suffered. Perhaps a few renditions will be highly sought after, like the Bulls' 2020-21 or the Heat's 2019-20 editions, but the more that Nike releases similar jerseys, the less valuable their good designs will become.

It's high time that Nike stops trying to make collectibles out of these City Editions and starts trying to make new classics that will stand the test of time.