July 04, 2023
A new day in our holiday week installment of PhillyRank is here! We love ranking things here at PhillyVoice, from the best MLB uniforms and logos to the most hated villains in Philly sports history. On Monday, we ranked the best names in Philadelphia sports. I'm giving a particular shoutout to Flyers first-round pick Oliver Bonk for finishing top two on that list despite being on a Philly team for less than a week. Now that's a great name!
To keep in that spirit, I'm going to unveil my list of the best Philadelphia sports jerseys to buy. Only current players are eligible, so you won't see Allen Iverson, Mike Schmidt or Brian Dawkins here. The candidacy for a jersey to be on here is twofold to me: the longevity factor of how far in the future this jersey will still be valuable on top of the simple aspect of how great a player is. For example, Tyrese Maxey is a beloved up-and-coming guard in the NBA, but with trade rumors swirling this offseason and the news that the Sixers won't be giving him a contract extension this summer, I would advise against buying his jersey at this time.
Got it? Cool. Let's get to the list...
This is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek choice, but I wanted to have at least one player from each of the Flyers, Sixers, Phillies and Eagles represented. Given their new Process-like teardown, no current player on the Flyers roster feels safe to me.
So, you may need to get creative if you want a long-lasting jersey for your favorite hockey team. That brings us to the Flyers' seventh-overall pick in the NHL Draft.
You could customize a Flyers jersey with "Michkov" on the back and No. 39 (his number with KHL club SKA Saint Petersburg). As soon as the Flyers drafted Michkov, I looked to see if you could find an officially licensed KHL jersey online for him to no avail. I'm usually against buying fake jerseys from sketchy online websites, but it may be too good of an opportunity if you can find a cheap Michkov KHL one. It looks like the winger, who was considered perhaps the second-best player in the entire 2023 draft class, won't be coming over until 2026, so you have a ton of time to wear this before he even gets his promising Flyers career started.
Goedert is a top-four tight end in this league at minimum and you could make the case he's the second-best in the entire sport behind Travis Kelce. He balled out in 2023, his first full season as the Eagles' unquestioned TE1, and I imagine he'll be a huge factor in this Eagles offense for the next few years.
Castellanos has been the Phillies' best player in 2023 and one of the better hitters in the entire sport. He just got named to the All-Star team and is coming off a 🔥 week at the plate for the Fightins. He's also under contract for another three seasons. That's a huge factor!
It says a lot about the style and vibes of Philadelphia that two offensive linemen made this list. Mailata is on the rise entering his age-26 season and should be anchoring Jalen Hurts' blindside for the next half-dozen years. Add in the fact that Mailata took an untraditional path to the NFL and that he's a hell of a crooner, Mailata is a safe buy that will get your extra cool points for going with a non-skill position player.
Smith is on the cusp of solidifying himself as a top-10 wideout in the NFL entering his third season. It feels like a lock that he'll get a second contract in Philadelphia, too. Great player who will be in this city for a while? Love that choice. If you want an option that's a bit different from the obvious top-two choices on this list, a Smith jersey will do you well.
The reigning NBA MVP is only No. 5? What? Stay with me for a second.
Things feel like they're falling apart for the Sixers. How long will Maxey be here? New James Harden rumors pop up by the day. If the Sixers have yet another second-round flameout next spring, I could see a situation where Embiid asks out of Philly to go to a franchise that's slightly less of a train wreck. He's one of the most talented players in NBA history, but I wonder how much Sixers fans will love wearing his jersey still if, say, come October 2024, he's playing with Jimmy Butler on South Beach. You have to consider all of this if you want to spend your hard-earned money!
Graham is on pace to break the record for the most games played in an Eagles uniform this year. He made the biggest play in the history of Philadelphia sports. Even if Graham only plays another year or two in the NFL, his legendary status has been cemented and the jersey will have endless wearability in the future.
He's won an MVP in Philly. He took home NLCS MVP honors last fall after "the swing of his life." He's on pace for the Hall of Fame and is under contract for another eight years. How do you not already own a baby blue Harper jersey?
The 24-year-old QB1 who will be an MVP candidate in 2023 and beyond? Easy call. Maybe it would be a good bet to wait on a Hurts jersey until the Kelly green throwback uniforms get officially revealed though!
Kelce may go down as the most beloved Philadelphia athlete of all time. People will be wearing Kelce jerseys until the end of days. How great do you need to be as a center with such an electric personality to top a list like this? Kelce is a 1-of-1 guy.
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