Jazz Among NBA Teams in ‘Desperate Need’ of Rebrand Per CBS Sports

Should the Utah Jazz switch up their color scheme after their most recent changes?
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The Utah Jazz always seem to make the news when it revolves around jerseys. Whether it revolves around their classic mountain ones from the 90s, their recent purple City and Classic redesigns, or their black and yellow refresh from two seasons ago, this team makes a statement with their threads.

However, while the Jazz have gotten a lot of publicity on their uniforms and branding, not all of it is positive. In CBS Sports' recent ranking of five teams in need of a rebrand in the wake of the Los Angeles Clippers' new renditions, Utah came up as a squad that could be in need, even after their 2021 overhaul.

Jasmyn Wimpish of CBS Sports details the Jazz as a team that should look into a change, potentially geared towards their purple roots, as showcased with this season's alternate designs:

This may be a little harsh considering the Jazz literally underwent a full jersey overhaul just two years ago, but not all changes are for the better and this is certainly a prime example of that. The new color scheme is a complete departure from what we've come to expect from the Jazz, who have gone through countless jersey redesigns, and somehow their creative team landed on highlighter yellow, black and white. The Jazz are one of five teams (Hornets, Lakers, Timberwolves and Magic) that have five jerseys this season, with the fifth being a "Classic Edition" which is just the John Stockton, Karl Malone era purple uniforms, and honestly that's what Utah should just revert back to. Either that one or the purple mountain range ones because those are some of the cleanest jerseys in the league past or present.

Other teams, such as the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Washington Wizards, were among those listed alongside Utah that could use a change.

In the case of the Jazz, they decided to pivot from their previous color scheme from the 2010s, consisting of a combination of blue, yellow, and green, to their new bright neon and black. The revamp was a controversial adjustment from the time it was announced all the way until today. The team has even seemed to pick up the distaste they've seen with their fresh uniforms, considering they haven't forecasted to wear their neon Icon jerseys once past this year's All-Star Break.

And while the team has brought back their beloved purple uniforms on occasion for this season and last, Wimpish calls for Utah to rip the band-aid off and wear them on the regular.

When the Jazz announced the rebrand in 2022, they did say that purple would stay in their color palette going forward. That's a positive sign, but it doesn't really fit with the rest of the colors going on here. They should ditch the yellow, add in purple, and just do different iterations of the mountain jersey, or bring back the gradient sunset jerseys. Both of those are better than this current color scheme. 

While there are no signs Utah will be switching up its branding or uniforms so quickly, the consistent positive feedback they've received on the new purple threads could at least start the conversation for some adjustments from the franchise.


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Published
Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.