Ranking NBA teams' throwback ABA uniforms ahead of the 50th anniversary of the historic merger

The Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs unveiled throwback ABA uniforms to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the merger.

OutKick Ranking NBA Teams ABA Style Uniforms in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Historic Merger

Classic New York Nets design in honor of Julius Dr. Jay Irving passed the Pacers, Spurs and Nuggets

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On Monday, four NBA teams unveiled their 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 merger. This requires uniform ratings.

The Spurs uniforms are a direct reproduction of the team's original look from their early years in San Antonio. One interesting detail is the arched "Spurs" insignia on the chest, which is exactly the same as the first players to represent the city after moving from Dallas in 1973.

"Honoring their ABA roots through this jersey is a unique opportunity to celebrate the history that has shaped both the Spurs and the city of San Antonio," said Jordan Mandelkorn, vice president of marketing, creative and retail for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. He emphasized that the season-long celebration — which includes a throwback design to match the ABA's 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This look was originally made famous during George Gervin's legendary downtown HemisFair Arena. The team is scheduled to debut the jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, against the Dallas Mavericks at Frostbank Center, kicking off the first scheduled "Classic Night" of the season.

Also, the shorts might be the best of the bunch. The black diamond background framing the classic cowboy hat really nails the retro look. I am a big fan.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Bal Arena in Denver, Colorado on December 25, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Images)

The Nuggets' urban version uniforms this season swapped the franchise's traditional navy and gold for a pale orange design. This uniform honors the team's legacy of the late 1960s and early 1970s when they competed in the ABA.

The jersey features an arched "Denver" wordmark across the chest in black lettering with a white outline. It is simple and compact. The shorts feature a black and white Rockets logo on the left leg, paying homage to the team's original 1967 identity as the Denver Rockets before rebranding to the Nuggets. Again simple and tasteless.

Along with the uniform offering, the organization announced a corresponding specialist backfield in the Ball Arena to match the vintage aesthetic during designated games.

The team will officially debut the retro theme on Sunday, December 27, 2026, during a home game against the Indiana Pacers, whose uniforms I'll talk about in a minute, the first of a total of nine regular season games (seven at home and two on the road) that the Nuggets will wear this commemorative look.

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Final thought: They should have left these in the past.

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

The Indiana Pacers 2026–27 Classic Edition uniforms are a direct tribute to the franchise's strong ABA era. The commemorative uniform replicates the team's iconic road design from 1971–74. The vibrant royal blue jerseys feature a clean, blocky, white "Indiana" wordmark arched across the chest.

Gold numbering, along with a gold racing stripe wrapped around the armholes, and a distinctive gold and white stripe pattern running down the right side of the shirt and shorts. It's a classic look, but I can't get over the fact that this jersey is very similar to one of my favorite jerseys of all time: the 1970-1972 Atlanta Hawks jersey, specifically Pete Maravich's jersey featuring his nickname "Pistol."

The best detail is the vintage 1967 logo, which is shown 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 uniforms for 15 games during the season, including seven scheduled home dates at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For those seven home games, the franchise will introduce a custom throwback field design and a completely unique, retro night game experience.

It's 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 that pays direct homage to the franchise's legendary ABA roots.

The red, white, and blue colors of the uniforms pair perfectly with a patriotic ABA, era-specific basketball. The clean white jersey, with those American colors, also features retro All-Star side panels and echoes the look made famous by Hall of Famer Julius "Dr. J" Irving when he led the team to ABA championships in 1974 and 1976.

To complement the uniforms, the organization is introducing a design that matches the backcourt at Barclays Center. The team is set to officially make its retro debut on opening night, Wednesday, October 21, 2026, against the Charlotte Hornets.

This is a shirt that I would easily add to my collection. Now I just have to figure out which player's shirt to get.

Overall, these are solid designs that properly honor the rich history of the leagues that joined forces half a century ago. One thing's for sure: These jerseys are much better than the Specter Edition jerseys that Nike and the NBA unveiled in September. These are brutal

Jon is a writer and content creator for OutKick

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