Ranking every Toronto Raptors jersey in team history

As Toronto Raptors fans who trudged through the Andrea Bargnani years, the unsightly memories of that team — and its accompanying jerseys — are imprinted in our brains. After winning a championship last season, however, we finally found the strength to revisit the team’s past. Tonight, the Raptors will debut the inaugural home throwback jerseys, returning in honour of the franchise’s 25th anniversary.

In that spirit, we decided to pour over the team’s entire catalogue of jerseys and rank them in three categories: Aesthetic, Uniqueness and Memorability. Both of us — Dylan and Sully — scored each jersey on a scale of 1-to-10 for all three categories, then added up our scores to figure out which Toronto Raptors jersey is truly the greatest of all time.

But, before we find out which jersey is the best, we had to sift through some trash. (And please note we may have “missed” a couple of the jerseys here by ranking, say, home/away versions as one instead of two separate entries — but you’ll get the general idea.)

Welcome to Raptors HQ’s official Raptors Jersey Rankings!

Jersey Rank No. 22 — Military Night Jersey/Shirsey

Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

These were just hideous.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 1, Sully - 1

Uniqueness: Dylan - 3, Sully - 3

Memorability: Dylan - 2, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 15

Jersey Rank No. 21 — 2007 NBA Europe Live Tour Home Jersey

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Aesthetic: Dylan - 5, Sully - 5

Uniqueness: Dylan - 5, Sully - 6

Memorability: Dylan - 1, Sully - 1

Jersey score: 23

Jersey Rank No. 20 — 2007 NBA Global Games Away Jersey

Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE via Getty Images

Does anyone actually remember these jerseys?

Aesthetic: Dylan - 2, Sully - 8

Uniqueness: Dylan - 4, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 1, Sully - 1

Jersey score: 23

Jersey Rank No. 19 — 2006-2015 Home White

Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

Plain and simple.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 3, Sully - 3

Uniqueness: Dylan - 3, Sully - 3

Memorability: Dylan - 4, Sully - 7

Jersey score: 23

Jersey Rank No. 18 — 2006-2015 Away Red

Getty Images

Aesthetic: Dylan - 4, Sully - 5

Uniqueness: Dylan - 4, Sully - 5

Memorability: Dylan - 5, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 28

Jersey Rank No. 17 — 1999-2006 Home Jersey

Getty Images

Aesthetic: Dylan - 7, Sully - 1

Uniqueness: Dylan - 7, Sully - 3

Memorability: Dylan - 7, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 30

Jersey Rank No. 16 — 2007, 2012 St. Patty’s Day

Photo by Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Aesthetic: Dylan - 6, Sully - 5

Uniqueness: Dylan - 5, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 3, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 31

Jersey Rank No. 15 — 1996, 2009-10 White Huskies

Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

Aesthetic: Dylan - 7, Sully - 5

Uniqueness: Dylan - 8, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 3, Sully - 3

Jersey score: 33

Jersey Rank No. 14 — Current Home Jersey

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Aesthetic: Dylan - 7, Sully - 5

Uniqueness: Dylan - 5, Sully - 5

Memorability: Dylan - 6, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 33

Jersey Rank No. 13 — Current Away Red

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Aesthetic: Dylan - 6, Sully - 7

Uniqueness: Dylan - 6, Sully - 5

Memorability: Dylan - 5, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 34

Jersey Rank No. 12 — 2008-2015 Black Alternate Jersey

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

No current home, away, alternate or City Edition jersey features “Toronto” written on the front, so these were the last ones. Let’s hope that changes!

Aesthetic: Dylan - 4, Sully - 7

Uniqueness: Dylan - 4, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 4 Sully - 8

Jersey score: 34

Jersey Rank No. 11 — 2016-17 Blue Huskies Jersey

Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Aesthetic: Dylan - 3, Sully - 8

Uniqueness: Dylan - 8, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 4, Sully - 5

Jersey score: 35

*******

Top 10 Jerseys in Raptors Team History

Jersey Rank No. 10 — 2018-19 City Edition Jersey

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Though a different colourway, any jersey reminiscent of the ones wore on June 13th will always hold a special place in our heart. We’re a fan of the golden chevron on the shorts and the simplicity of the design. In this case, less is more.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 5, Sully - 6

Uniqueness: Dylan - 8, Sully - 6

Memorability: Dylan - 4, Sully - 6

Jersey score: 35

Jersey Rank No. 9 — 2015-17 OVO Jersey

Action Images / Reuters / USA TODAY Sports

These jerseys were a subtle play on the typical away Raptors jerseys at the time. As the Toronto Raptors’ “Global Ambassador”, Drake’s influence is felt with a black and gold colour scheme.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 6, Sully - 7

Uniqueness: Dylan - 5, Sully - 6

Memorability: Dylan - 3, Sully - 10

Jersey score: 37

Jersey Rank No. 8 — Current Black Alternate Jersey

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

A classy, simple nod to the past with a modern twist is the recipe for success when it comes to the Raptors’ current jerseys. The black alternates are sleek, minimalistic and instantly felt like a classic upon release.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 8, Sully - 8

Uniqueness: Dylan - 5, Sully - 5

Memorability: Dylan - 6, Sully - 7

Jersey score: 39

Jersey Rank No. 7 — 2017 Chinese New Year Jersey

Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images

A creative and stylish nod to the Chinese New Year, this jersey makes interesting use of its real estate with a large, blocky font and design.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 7, Sully - 8

Uniqueness: Dylan - 7, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 5, Sully - 6

Jersey score: 40

Jersey Rank No. 6 — 2017-18 Black and Gold City Edition Jersey

Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images

The Raptors struck gold with the first Nike City Edition jersey release. As no other team had prior attempted such a design, this jersey’s uniqueness contributes to its iconic nature. The gold chevron are especially bold when projected upon a black background.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 6, Sully - 10

Uniqueness: Dylan - 6, Sully - 8

Memorability: Dylan - 5, Sully - 10

Jersey score: 45

Jersey Rank No. 5 — 2003-06 Away “RAPTORS” Purple Jersey

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

While these jerseys are not super memorable, they’re certainly aesthetically pleasing. The vibrant purple is the perfect juxtaposition against the jet black panels. Yet, these jerseys tend to slip under the radar because the team was so bad at the time. Fair.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 8, Sully - 8

Uniqueness: Dylan - 10, Sully - 8

Memorability: Dylan - 6, Sully - 6

Jersey score: 46

Jersey Rank No. 4 — 2018-19 Red North Earned Edition Jersey

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Not only does the colourway represent the Canadian flag, but these are also the jerseys in which the Raptors won the championship. Need we say more?

Aesthetic: Dylan - 7, Sully - 8

Uniqueness: Dylan - 7, Sully - 7

Memorability: Dylan - 7, Sully - 10

Jersey score: 46

Jersey Rank No. 3 — 1999-2003 Away “TORONTO” Purple Jersey

These jerseys truly meant something. At the time, Vince Carter was inspiring hope across Canada and throwing down monstrous slams in the most inventive jersey on this list. To the best of our knowledge, no other NBA team has used entirely different colours on the front and back of a jersey. The design is beautiful and iconic, but it lacks a certain... cartoonish element, which leads us to our final two contenders.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 8, Sully - 10

Uniqueness: Dylan - 10, Sully - 8

Memorability: Dylan - 9, Sully - 9

Jersey score: 54

Jersey Rank No. 2 — Inaugural Away Jersey

It’s about time we approached our first “Dino” jersey of the list! The pinstripes are a classic 90’s staple, with a jagged twist representative of the team’s ferocity. A bright red dinosaur lays atop the dark purple backdrop, immediately drawing the viewer’s attention. Those elements are combined with an edgy, unique font, culminating in a classic jersey.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 9, Sully - 9

Uniqueness: Dylan - 8, Sully - 8

Memorability: Dylan - 10, Sully - 10

Jersey score: 54

Jersey Rank No. 1 — Inaugural Home Jersey

Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

Finally, we arrive upon our favourite Raptors jerseys of all time. What sets this jersey apart from its away alternative is the subtle yet effective purple trim. On top of that, the white font on the back contrasts beautifully with the black box beneath it. There is no other jersey we’d rather the team bring back, and luckily our wish came to fruition this year.

Aesthetic: Dylan - 10, Sully - 10

Uniqueness: Dylan - 8, Sully - 10

Memorability: Dylan - 9, Sully - 9

Jersey score: 56

What did you think about our rankings? Sound off in the comments!