Image via Basketball Jersey Archive
We already covered the full 2026 NBA Christmas jersey collection and gave the overall set a pretty rough grade. Most of those designs missed the mark. But when you pull the Celtics jersey out on its own and really look at it, this one actually holds up better than the rest of the group.
The neon green on a black base just works for Boston. The Celtics have always owned that shade of green, and when you light it up against a dark background, it pops in a way that feels natural for the brand. It does not feel forced the way some of the other teams' Christmas jerseys do. The green aurora-style graphics woven into the fabric have an energy to them that actually fits the Celtics aesthetic.
What Works
The color combination is the biggest win here. Neon green on black is not something the Celtics wear in their regular rotation, so it actually feels special. That is supposed to be the whole point of a Christmas jersey. It should look different from what you see on a random Tuesday night in January. This one does. The green has enough glow to it that it will read well on camera during the Christmas Day broadcast, and it still feels unmistakably Celtics.
The overall shape of the design is solid too. The graphic elements flow across the jersey in a way that does not look as busy as some of the other leaked designs. For a jersey that is trying to do a lot, it stays relatively clean.
What Doesn't Work
The number placement is too high on the chest. It sits awkwardly close to the neckline and throws the whole balance of the jersey off. When you look at where the number sits on a standard Celtics jersey, there is a natural spacing that gives everything room to breathe. This one feels cramped up top.
And then there is the Nike swoosh sitting dead center on the chest. We have said this before with other designs and we will keep saying it. The swoosh in the middle of the jersey never looks right. It competes with the number and the team wordmark for attention, and the whole front of the jersey ends up feeling cluttered. Move it back to the shoulder where it belongs.
Overall Grade
This is one of the better jerseys in Nike's 2026 Christmas collection. The color works, the design is not overly busy, and it feels like something that actually belongs on the Celtics. The number placement and the centered Nike logo keep it from reaching that next tier, but compared to the rest of the leaked Christmas designs, Boston came out ahead. Check out our full 2026 NBA Christmas jersey rankings to see how every team stacked up.
Image via Basketball Jersey Archive