The 11 Most Outrageous NBA Uniforms Ever

The NBA Uniforms that were so outlandish they make Metta World Peace seem mild-mannered

Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-2001)

Sports Illustrated / Via Twitter: @si_vault

A very ugly jersey. The font size of the word 'Grizzlies' dwarves 'Vancouver' as if the franchise aren't proud to be in Canada and the strange hieroglyph-type symbols on the lining are overkill. The massive angry grizzly bear adorning the shorts clutching a basketball is particularly gaudy. Just look how grumpy Bryant "Big Country" Reeves looks having to model it.

I'm not suggesting a correlation but the Grizzlies won less than 22% of their games wearing these jerseys during their six seasons in Vancouver.

Toronto Raptors (2011)

jerseysNFLNBA.com / Via jerseysnflnba.com

The primary purpose of camouflage clothing is that they make the wearer harder to see. Unfortunately for the Raptors they were playing on a court, not in a forest. The sections of black fail to mellow this uniform and it was also available in sleeved.

Sidenote: the San Antonio Spurs camo jersey narrowly avoids topping the Raptor's effort as it was for military appreciation.

Sacramento Kings (2005-2007)

JerseysNFLNBA.com / Via jerseysnflnba.com

We get that the gold and purple play in to the regal theme the Kings were going for with this jersey but this makes them look royally tacky. The flowing, golden silk robes are just too shiny and the lilac and gold together make for a sickly combination.

Oh, and Metta World Peace actually wore this one as Ron Artest.

Toronto Raptors (1995-1997)

UK Complex.com / Via uk.complex.com

Canada, the Raptors and stupid-looking cartoonish creatures are back again. The disproportionate Raptor bouncing the basketball takes up an unprecedented amount of space and the 'T' and 'S' of 'Raptors' are oddly in capitals.

Even though the team recently brought these towel-like jerseys back for a throwback edition, as Demar Derozan and Lou Williams wear above, original wearers Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason weren't exactly fans of the design.

Utah Jazz (1997-2004)

Noel Basilio Word Press / Via noelbasilio.wordpress.com

As brazen as the mountain peaks are, this jersey is actually quite tasteful. The purplish blue with the sharpness of the mountain range makes for a pleasant combination. And the artfulness of the font for 'Jazz' over the peaks gives a nice retro feel to the uniform. There's not a whole lot you can work with when your team is named after a genre of music.

The 1997 Jazz with the John Stockton - Karl Malone duo even wore this all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

Phoenix Suns (2003-2012)

zimbio.com / Via zimbio.com

Again a team that enjoyed some fruitful years in spite of a lurid jersey. The drab grey and sickly orange together is not a fetching combination (see Charlotte Bobcats) and the abbreviated PHX is pointless. Along with the bulky Word Art-style font and out-of-place hoop around the numbers on the front, the proper Suns logo is relegated to the shorts.

This jersey possessed no redeeming features except perhaps making it easier for Steve Nash to spot his team mates for the assist.

Milwaukee Bucks (1996-1997)

JerseysNFLNBA.com / Via jerseysnflnba.com

Yet another huge animal making an appearance on this badly thought out uniform. Unfortunately the buck is not a menacing animal and merely succeeds in displacing the jersey number off centre and distracts from the otherwise fetching shade of green.

Despite this effort, Milwaukee are apparently not finished with giant bucks dominating their uniforms and are again trying to make their team animal as intimidating as possible.

Philadelphia 76ers (1991-1994)

Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images / Via philadelphia.cbslocal.com

It's easy for something Manute Bol wears to look silly but these uniforms would have made any man look a fool. I appreciate Philadelphia is the liberty city but show your appreciation for the land of freedom in a subtler way. It's all just so brashly patriotic but the stars falling from the word 'Sixers' are the main eyesore. See the ABA's New York Net's on how to get patriotic uniforms right.

Charles Barkley said of the jerseys that "they look like something my daughter drew with crayons".

Minnesota Timberwolves (2003-2004)

Bleacher Report / Via bleacherreport.com

While the jagged 80s horror film font is ugly and the numbering a little too rounded, this jersey is saved by the tree lining. The Timberwolves should receive credit for avoiding including an actual wolf on the uniform and for playing on their state's forestry landscape.

The team enjoyed their most successful year wearing these too, with Kevin Garnett carrying them all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

Dallas Mavericks (2003)

ESPN.com / Via sports.espn.go.com

Poor Steve Nash back and this time he's dressed as a robot in this metallic uniform. This jersey was probably meant to be futuristic but instead is so shiny it looks like a cross between foil and a trash bag with drab lettering.

Infamously these were so badly received that Maverick's owner Mark Cuban pulled the plug on them after just one game and has since asked for help from the fans to design their next jersey.

Detroit Pistons (1995-2001)

Andy Lyons / Getty Images / Via bleacherreport.com

The Pistons sought to move on from the 'Bad Boy' image with a departure from their traditional red and blue uniforms. And aside from the overly-detailed lining the jersey is fairly attractive. The logo is too large but it combines smoothly with the font and plays cleverly on the idea of horsepower and car pistons.

The main problem is teal is not a fearsome colour and it has become synonymous with the franchise's barren years now referred to as the "Teal Era".