SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz surprised their fan base Friday when they revealed six jerseys the team would wear over the next two seasons.
In addition to their new white, yellow, and black jerseys, the Jazz also announced the retro city edition mountain jersey which harkens back to the team’s Finals runs in the late 90s, and two additional purple alternates for the 2023-24 season.
With the six new jerseys now public, here’s my ranking of each uniform the Jazz will dawn over the next two seasons.
1. 2023-24 New Orleans Purple Throwback
These are going to sell like hotcakes next year. pic.twitter.com/c9fXNHC5VM
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 17, 2022
The best jersey the Jazz revealed on Friday is the throwback purple uniform with the white Jazz note logo which debuted with the team in 1974.
Make no mistake, the uneven white Jazz note, the grossly oversized numbers, and the slight variation in each letter of the logo is bizarre, but it’s also what makes these jerseys special.
These aren’t just among some of the best jerseys the Jazz have ever worn, they are among the best jerseys in NBA history, and they’ll look terrific during the 2023-24 season.
2. Yellow Spotlight Jersey 2022-23
The Juancho Hernangomez of jerseys. @utahjazz fans will be hesitant at first but they’ll come around. pic.twitter.com/PuAmAMxp0r
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 17, 2022
Perhaps the most controversial take on the list, but the Jazz yellow “Spotlight” jerseys are an excellent addition to the team’s rotation beginning next season.
Looking back on NBA jerseys throughout history, teams are rarely penalized for going too bold, and the highlighter yellow is as bold of a color as there is in the NBA currently.
Does it look a bit like an Oregon Ducks uniform? Yes, it does, but the Ducks have had the best uniforms in college football for the last two decades, what’s wrong with that?
3. Black Key Jersey2022-23
These are significantly better than the black and yellow jerseys from the Lakers in years past.
Jazz fans loved the old dark mode jerseys, and it lends itself to good playoff arena branding. pic.twitter.com/RzUTzuTpjx
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 17, 2022
Jazz fans were initially hesitant about the team’s yellow to red ombre city jerseys three seasons ago, and again suspicious of the team’s black Dark Mode jerseys two seasons ago.
But, once fans saw them on the floor they quickly embraced the look.
Sure, the black and yellow resembles a Los Angeles Lakers alternate from years past, but those jerseys were too busy with the complicated Lakers logo, a mistake the Jazz avoided with the simple yellow Utah lettering.
4. Throwback Mountain Jersey 2022-23
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The only mistake the Jazz made during their jersey launch is that they led with these, and they’re the only non-new uniform in the bunch.
Don’t get me wrong, these are strong jerseys, some of the best of the 90s-era NBA, but we saw them just three seasons ago.
They will look great on the court, that’s ultimately what matters, but they lack newness.
5. White Key Jersey 2022-23
These seem to be getting the least amount of attention of any of the new jerseys. pic.twitter.com/UOw77mR0bi
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 17, 2022
Of the three original designs the Jazz will wear in 2022-23, the “White Key” jersey seems to be getting the least amount of attention among fans.
It’s the least bold of the designs as the black Jazz note logo is relatively small compared to the print on the front of the “Black Key” and “Spotlight” jerseys which may prove to be a mistake.
Once again, bold seems to be the mantra of the team’s rebrand, and the small logo here seems to buck that trend unnecessarily.
6. Purple City Edition Jersey 2023-24
I’ll be curious what the new court looks like with these in 2023-24. pic.twitter.com/FGfy7UATOH
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 17, 2022
As with most jerseys, they look better once they are on the floor, and the Jazz have yet to release the corresponding court that will match their 2023-24 City Edition jersey.
Of the new uniforms, this jersey looks the most like a fan design that you would find on Twitter as it tries to encapsulate a lot of the recent trends in Jazz branding i.e. the ombre color bars, the mountain backdrop, and the late 90s Utah font.
Also, it happens to be the lesser of the two purple jerseys that will debut in the 2023-24 season. That’s a hard sell, but it’s far from a total miss.
What do you think Jazz fans, how would you rank the team’s new jerseys?
