Utah has reintroduced itself with four new uniforms and two new court designs for the 2022-23 season, in honour of accepting that limelight and repeating the past with the next prosperous era.
“Purple is back and here to stay,” declared Utah Jazz president Jim Olson. “This uniform collection features the return of our cornerstone colour purple, which will be integral to our new designs in future Jazz seasons. Purple is beloved by our fan base and lives at the core of our identity. Alongside our newly painted courts, these fresh yet familiar looks speak to our great history and dynamic future .”
Purple has been a part of the Jazz’s colour scheme since the team’s founding in 1974, when it was based in New Orleans. Purple, one of the three original Mardi Gras colours, was retained when the team relocated to Utah, and has since become one of the most recognized jerseys in NBA history, with its conspicuous white-to-purple gradient mountain.
The Purple Mountain will return for the following season after making a brief debut in the 2019-20 season as part of the Classic Edition uniform, as the design honours the franchise’s great history and wants to repeat the next successful era.
However, this isn’t the only significant change in Utah’s history.
The Jazz and their owner, Ryan Smith, want it known that they will not be afraid of the spotlight. In reality, Utah’s new jerseys pay homage to the organization’s illustrious history and show that this is a squad that will continue to compete for attention.
The white and black outfits represent the white and black keys on a piano, a pivotal figure in Jazz music history. The yellow jersey reflects the spotlight bestowed to history’s greatest performers, a homage to Utah’s love of being in the spotlight with all eyes on them.
A new “Dark Mode” with “UTAH” on the chest, a white variant with the Note, and a yellow variation with “JAZZ” on the chest are all part of the uniform lineup. Each outfit has bigger front and back jersey numbers, as well as the traditional angled side panels. The waistbands of the black shorts have JAZZ in satin shine material, while the white and yellow shorts have UTAH.
All uniforms include a faint matte/shine taping material around the neck, arm, and leg trim – yellow on the white and yellow uniforms, and black on the black uniform.
The black uniform strips down the recent “Dark Mode” jersey to its most contrasting components. The musical note is prominent in the white uniform’s design, and the colour has been enhanced to a bright and striking degree, giving it a bold and confident look.
Utah will be celebrating the past while looking forward to the future, from the legendary purple uniforms worn by John Stockton and Karl Malone during their back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1997-98 to the new era ushering in with a new head coach leading the way.