Since their inaugural 1988-89 season, the Miami Heat have consistently produced some of the nicest looking uniforms in the NBA. The Heat’s overall aesthetic is eye candy for the average fan, and while most of their uniforms have been a smash hit, others have been a total miss. Here are the best and worst Miami Heat jerseys.
Best: ViceWave City Edition (2019-20)
(Yes Heat fans, I miss Jae Crowder too.). The fourth edition of the Heat’s Vice Collection went viral the moment they dropped. The black and pink accents along the blue gale jersey illustrate the lights that fill the Miami night skyline to perfection. It also helps that Heat fans associate this jersey with their Eastern Conference Championship 2019-20 season.
Worst: Home Strong (2016-17)
Worn over the Veterans Day holiday, the Home Strong uniforms paid homage to our heroes in the Armed Forces. Setting aside that their heart was definitely in the right place, these jerseys are hideous. The army colors did not blend well with the Heat’s yellow and red hardwood floor…at all. I have rarely seen anyone rock a Home Strong jersey to a Heat game, or anywhere for that matter. Cool concept. Bad execution.
Best: Classic Red Alternates (1996-99, 2012-13)
Making its debut in February of 1996, the blood-red with black and white trim jerseys were the first of many alternate uniforms worn throughout the years. These jerseys entertain two generations of Heat fans. One, the Tim Hardaway/Alonzo Mourning era of the late 90s. The other is during the height of the Big 3 Era, when I was a young teenager, and the Heat wore the classic red alternates during the 2012-13 season. These jerseys remind of a prime (yes, that’s right, PRIME) LeBron James being a nightmare on both ends of the floor for opposing teams.
Worst: “Trophy Gold” Earned Edition (2021)
These uniforms are another example of a cool concept that just did not deliver. Besides the fact that it made Bam Adebayo look like a bumblebee, the timing of these uniforms only hindered them. So you created uniforms that commemorate the three championships in your team’s history less than a year removed from losing in the Finals? Seems like a questionable move if you ask me.
Best: White Hot (2013)
For the 2006 Playoffs, the Miami Heat began the White Hot campaign that draped every seat in the American Airlines Arena with a white shirt. The result was a run for the ages capped off by one of the greatest Finals performances ever by Dwyane Wade. The Heat were one of the first NBA teams to ordain the trend of having every fan wear one solid color for each playoff home game. Miami kept the all-white-everything theme during their 2012 and 2013 championships runs. These jerseys were created for the fans who made the Triple-A one of the toughest places to play for years.
Worst: ViceVersa City Edition (2020-21)
Before the 2020-21 season, the Vice Collection from top to bottom was arguably the most popular assortment of jerseys ever. That said, they threw their previous success out the window with these uniforms. These cotton candy-looking atrocities could have been saved if the split of colors were horizontal rather than vertical. The 2020-2021 season was one worth forgetting for Heat fans everywhere.
The Best of the Best: The Standard Heat Uniforms
What makes the Miami Heat uniforms some of the best in the league is how they found a design in 1999 that worked and have run with it ever since. Some of the greatest games in the history of basketball featured these uniforms. The only change that they have seen in over 20 years was in 2012 when “Heat” was replaced with “Miami” on the road black jerseys. That’s it.
Worst of the Worst: 2014 Christmas Jerseys
?? They’re t-shirts!
