The Jazz combined the "past with the present in coming up with" their new uniforms and logos, which were unveiled on Thursday, according to Jody Genessy of the DESERET NEWS. The team's primary colors "remain navy blue, green and yellow, but the organization bid farewell to the mountain backdrop that has been part of the logo scheme" since '96. The team's primary logo "includes the J-note Jazz with Utah on top of the double Zs." Secondary logos "include a dark blue circle with the words 'Utah Jazz basketball' inscribed in the interior and a green, yellow and blue basketball with white trim in the middle." Other logos "include the J-note, a basketball in the team colors and the traditional Jazz with a J-note." The Jazz "have an alternate green uniform once again, although this one has the word 'Utah' spelled out in white letters with yellow numbers." However, fans "were split over the fourth uniform," a soccer-like jersey that features "navy blue shorts with green, yellow and white stripes on the right leg and a sleeved jersey with similarly colored horizontal lines across the chest, below a J-note and the yellow numbers" (DESERET NEWS, 5/13). In Utah, Eric Frandsen noted the Jazz for the first time "will have an alternate jersey featuring sleeves." The navy jersey design of the fourth uniform is an "homage to the coloring of classic Jazz warmups" (CACHE VALLEY DAILY, 5/13).
MUSIC TO MY EARS? ESPN.com's Paul Lukas wrote a lot of fans "won't care for" the sleeved jersey and noted the "immediate complaint on social media was that it looks too much like a soccer kit." However, Lukas "loves" it and describes it as "bold, playful, fun -- a win-win-win." It also gets "points for referencing these great warm-up designs from the team's past." Lukas: "This design would be even better if it didn't have sleeves, or if the stripes wrapped all the way to the back, but it's still a hoot" (ESPN.com, 5/12). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said the Jazz’ sleeved jersey “looks like a soccer uniform because that’s adidas, and adidas actually forgets they’re doing stuff for basketball leagues." Wilbon: "They just want to do something that looks like soccer. ... This is marketing agenda-driven stuff to me.” He noted the rest of the new uniforms harken "back to the days of New Orleans, and it gives you that whole Mardi Gras feeling with the colors” (“PTI,” ESPN, 5/12). ESPN's David Jacoby said he likes the design of the sleeved jersey but added, "I just want to ask this question: Why do we have sleeved uniforms in the National Basketball Association?” Jacoby: "People say, ‘Oh, it’s so they sell T-shirts.’ They couldn’t sell enough T-shirts of the other uniforms?” (“Jalen & Jacoby,” ESPN Radio, 5/13).
