Ugliest NBA Jerseys 2015: The 5 Worst All-Star Game Uniforms. Ever.
NBA players are some of the most nattily dressed athletes in pro sports. But while their off-the-court styles are cutting edge, some of the kits the league dressed them in for a host of All-Star Games is just unsightly.
This was especially true during a decade hardly known for its fashion. From Skidz pants to overalls with one strap down to L.A. Lights sneakers, the 1990s was a period of bleak choices. The NBA was not immune.
For years, the NBA used virtually the same East/West uniform again and again, but in the 90s, despite packing more star power than perhaps any other decade in basketball history, the league showcased some dysfunctional fashion faux pas.
Here are the five worst NBA All-Star Game uniforms ever created.
5. 1991: Holey Mesh, Batman!
Charles Barkley won the 1991 All-Star Game MVP after pulling down 22 rebounds, but the lasting impression of him hoisting the trophy is the size of the mesh holes in his uniform jersey. In the early 1990s, sleek, breathable materials like we have today were not the norm. When it came to athletic wear, mesh ruled the day. Mesh shorts (with boxer shorts sticking out) were popular, but even the pros were outfitted in the holey stuff.
4. 2007: What's That Under Your Arm?
For the first time in history, the 2007 All-Star Game was held in a city with no NBA franchise. The game was held in Las Vegas and the league rolled the dice on a rather interesting uniform jersey. The front and back of the uniform tops were just swell, emblazoned with a neat East and West cursive type that fit the Las Vegas theme. But where the uniforms went off the rails was under the arms, where Adidas added an unnecessary element of flair that ruined the whole thing. Is it a shooting star under your arm? Is it a basket? Do you have Buckwheat in a headlock? Yikes.
3. 1979: What a Downer
After the NHL lockout in 2005, the league came back with a new logo that turned its downward-tilting lettering around so the NHL went up. The idea was that the hockey league was on its way up and the old direction indicated it was doing down. Nobody wants their league going down, but in 1979, the NBA ignored that rule of common sense and subconscious feeling when it rolled out All-Star jerseys that were tilted toward the floor. Coupled with the high socks and short shorts of the day, these uniforms were a total downer.
2. 1995: Desert Dogs
The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was played in Phoenix, Arizona, and league marketing people clearly sat in the sun too long before coming up with uniforms laced in Southwest style. From the cactus on the waistband to the loud purple, orange and teal color scheme, everything about these uniforms scream like a bad theme restaurant. The only thing missing is the requisite sombrero. Suns starters Charles Barkley and Dan Marjerle combined for 25 points but Mitch Richmond, perhaps one of the weakest MVPs in All-Star history, scored scored 23 off the bench, which is where these uniforms should have remained.
1. 1996: A Texas-Size Hot Mess
These numbers would have taken a beating from the Project Runway judges likely for being "too costumey." The 1996 NBA All-Star Game was held in San Antonio, Texas, and the teal and white uniforms players like Michael Jordan were forced to wear were dripping in Tex-Mex flair. His Airness scored 20 points and was named the game's MVP, but the game's least valuable player was the awful "fiesta" uniform the players were forced to wear. The game was Jordan's first All-Star engagement since he retired in 1993 and the uniform he had to wear probably had him thinking twice about coming back.