The Wizards are bringing back the cherry blossoms, and it's not bad.
Washington just unveiled their 2026-27 City Edition uniform, and it's the return of the fan-favorite cherry blossom look that first dropped ahead of the 2022-23 season. They're calling it "City in Bloom," and it might be one of the better City Edition rollouts we've seen from any team.
We usually don't love it when teams go completely away from their colors for a City Edition. And we're definitely not fans of gradient jerseys most of the time. But the Wizards pull it off here. The pink base with that deep blue gradient fading up from the bottom of the shorts just works. The two colors complement each other without clashing, and the whole thing feels clean.
The details are solid. "Washington" across the chest gets a cherry blossom replacing the dot on the "i." Three blossoms sit above the NBA tag, a nod to the three stars on the D.C. flag. Subtle cherry blossom silhouettes run along the sides of the jersey for texture without being over the top.
One touch we really like: the Wizards logo on the side of the shorts, reworked with the cherry blossom color scheme. It's a small detail, but it ties the whole uniform together. Instead of just slapping the standard logo on there, they tweaked it to match the palette. That kind of attention to detail separates good City Editions from lazy ones.
The shorts are the highlight for us. That deep blue at the bottom with the gradient fading up into pink looks great. It actually enhances the jersey instead of looking forced.
Trae Young is front and center for the campaign, and the photoshoot production matches the jersey. The jerseys won't hit the court until the 2026-27 season, with sales starting in January 2027.
ColorWay Sports Grade: B
Not gross. Clean concept, clean execution. The gradient works and the details are thoughtful. We just can't go higher than a B because it's still a pink jersey, and that's always going to cap the ceiling a little.
Images via Washington Wizards