Caveat B: I recognize that jersey rankings are a purely subjective exercise (for example, I never liked the Nuggets “cursive” jerseys from the mid-to-late 2000’s but many fans love that jersey) and we should probably just do a fan poll here.

Caveat C: If a jersey design is basically the same, we’re not sub-dividing them as individual jerseys unless they had a major update. For example, the Nuggets powder blue and gold uniforms were essentially the same from 2003-04 through 2015-16 when they underwent a substantive update (I know their powder blue and gold jerseys were “shiny” until 2010 or so but, again, they were basically the same).

Caveat D: One-off jerseys (like Christmas Day, Green Recycling Day) don’t count and are not ranked here.

Given Caveats A, B, C and D, I have tried to bring some science to this conversation by proposing a (admittedly arbitrary) ranking system to help guide the discussion. Each jersey shall be given a score based on the following criteria:

1 to 3 points (3 being highest) for five distinct categories …

1 – Design quality

2 – Nostalgia factor – i.e. how good and memorable was / were the team(s) that wore a particular jersey.

3 – Uniqueness

4 – Color choices

5 – Who is the first player you think of when you see the jersey?

And note that we are combining home and away together and ranking Nuggets-only jerseys (apologies to Denver Rockets fans, but there’s no place for red and black and purple and gold jerseys in Denver basketball history!).

With that said, let the rankings begin (and a huge tip of the hat is owed to NBA Jersey Database and Basketball Jersey Archive for making this column possible) …

#23: The “Nuggets” Name Debut (1974-75)

Design Quality: 1
Nostalgia Factor: 1
Uniqueness: 1
Color Choices: 1
Who is the first player you think of when you see this jersey? Ralph Simpson: 1
Total Score: 5

After seven seasons as the Denver Rockets in the American Basketball Association (ABA), under the stewardship of new team president Carl Scheer, the Rockets changed their name to the Nuggets to commence the 1974-75 campaign. The name “Nuggets” was chosen as an homage to the NBA’s Denver Nuggets who played one lone season in 1949-50 and won only 11 games. The newly named “Nuggets” took the ABA by storm, winning 65 games in their debut season with their new moniker. Unfortunately, their jersey design didn’t live up to the team’s performance on the floor. Not only was zero gold utilized in the jersey, but the font was forgettable and looked like a 1970s psychedelic rock album cover that only Jeff Morton would appreciate.