Utah Jazz: New throwback jerseys aren’t just super cool, they’re a sign of things to come

The reveal of the throwback Utah Jazz jerseys and court are more than a cool marketing ploy, they’re a sign of heightened expectations for the 2019-20 Jazz squad.

The Utah Jazz did an exceptional job of breaking through the slow basketball news days of late August and actually managed to do the unthinkable by getting their fans even more excited for the upcoming season. How did they do it? By officially revealing that the team would be bringing back the purple mountain jerseys for the 2019-20 season.

In case you somehow missed the reveal video, I’ve included it below for your viewing pleasure. It honestly is quite the chill-giver and if it doesn’t get you pumped, I have a hard time believing you truly consider yourself a Jazz fan:

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1166742414926630917

Personally, I’m extremely stoked for the new jerseys for the major reason that these are my favorite ones of all time. From that era’s Jazz logo, to the mountains that are so befitting of Utah, to the color scheme (yes, copper included!!!), to the awesome snowflake logo on the shorts (the shorts might actually be my favorite, I can’t decide!), I absolutely love this look.

Bringing it back to the Jazz in today’s NBA is an awesome look for this squad. And it definitely energized fans significantly as several on social media made it clear that they can’t wait to see their team sporting these new but familiar threads.

Check them out in all their glory below:

In conjunction with the official jersey reveal, the Jazz also made the new throwback court (which had already leaked previously) official as well, with some impressive photos of where the Jazz will play when they don these purple beauties.

That reveal also came with a magnificent video featuring Jazz newcomer Mike Conley sporting the throwback threads while on the new hardwood. Of course, I’ve included it all below yet again for your viewing pleasure:

https://twitter.com/mconley11/status/1166833229141331970

The new look also came with a hashtag – #MountainTime – cleverly tying in the theme of the old-school design with the time zone the Jazz just so happen to play in. Could it all get any better?!

But as excited as I am about the look of these new uniforms and court (and if you couldn’t tell, I’m really excited to see the Jazz in my favorite all-time design that I so closely associate with my childhood), I’m even more excited about what this announcement signifies. Whether you love or hate this Jazz color scheme and logo, the added meaning in all this should be the most exciting part for the Utah faithful.

Namely, the text in the jersey image tweet above really says it all. “In celebration of the most successful period in franchise history, we’re bringing back the purple mountain jerseys worn from 1996–2004 for the 2019-20 season.”

In other words, these jerseys weren’t just brought back by happenstance as a cute marketing ploy. Their return bears significance. They were the uniforms worn in the most successful period of Utah Jazz history. Bringing them back is a symbol of the expectations upon the Jazz this upcoming season. These jerseys represent the Jazz’s utmost peak. With them back in action, the team will now be expected to match those illustrious heights.

Or perhaps even surpass them.

The video at the top of the article clearly shows this jersey and court reveal as a bridge between the Jazz NBA Finals teams and this current group, which, as recently stated by The Athletic’s Tony Jones (paid subscription required), is the first since those days to actually have a legitimate shot at an NBA Championship.

The return of the purple mountain jerseys is more than a flashy new look. It’s a metaphor for the 2019-20 rendition of the Jazz being the best team Salt Lake City has seen since that group. In a way, you could argue that this upcoming squad is the first that’s truly been worthy of wearing those uniforms since the Finals teams of old. Bringing them back shows that they are among the elite Jazz teams in history, capable of doing what the legendary 1997 and 1998 teams accomplished, and perhaps even more.

Obviously, they still have to prove as much by putting things together on the court. And doing so in a big way. The Jazz have a lot of work to do and a lot has to come together if they’re truly going to match the Western Conference Champion level of the team that sported this jersey so proudly previously. But it’s clear that such is the hope and expectation.

So, ideally, these cool new uniforms will be more than just a neat throwback look capitalizing on nostalgia to drive fans to drop big bucks on apparel. Instead, they should serve to be a symbol of good things to come on the horizon. A sign that a new “most successful period in franchise history” is upon us, that the patiently constructed 2019-20 Jazz team is the one that can take this organization the distance to an NBA Championship.

If they do so, it of course won’t be because of the return of the throwback uniforms. However, doing so will definitely prove that the not-so-subtle message behind their return was accurate.

The jerseys are proof of heightened expectations. And ideally a sign of great things to come.