Alternate home court also celebrates cascading colors of Utah’s natural wonders
SALT LAKE CITY (December 25, 2017) – Inspired by the place where they live, work and play, the Utah Jazz released their final 2017-18 uniform design today with the club’s Nike “City Edition,” and added an extra feature to express the natural beauty and wonder of their home state with a complementary basketball court. Both the new Jazz jersey and court will debut on Jan. 30 at Vivint Smart Home Arena against Golden State.
“Our family is proud to have the Jazz jersey represent various parts of the state we all love,” said Greg Miller, NBA Board of Governors member for the Utah Jazz. “This year we feature the red rocks and canyon lands of Utah where we have spent so much time as a family.”
As the only team uniform this year wearing “UTAH” across its chest, the “City Edition” cascades in color bands from bright gold to deep burgundy that represent the famous red rock formations, stunning arches, canyons and vistas found throughout southern Utah. The colorful uniforms and court also reflect the fire, passion and intensity of the Utah Jazz organization and its players.
Unique design elements include the creation of a “Jazz state” logo on the waistband, which is the outline of the state embedded with the basketball lines from the primary Jazz logo. The combination of the state and basketball shows how the team belongs to all of Utah, as reinforced with the Miller family legacy trust and recent renovation of the home of the Utah Jazz. Hidden underneath the shorts flap is a graphic of Delicate Arch, one of the most iconic landmarks in southern Utah.
The twisting lines down the side of the uniforms represent the roadways to adventure in Utah. On the right side is the highway travel route from Salt Lake City to Moab, home of Delicate Arch; down the left side of the uniform is the Interstate 15 route from Salt Lake City to St. George in southern Utah.
The uniform also features the team’s first-ever patch, sponsored by Qualtrics, with a fiery red 5 For The Fight logo representing the campaign for cancer research in addition to the Nike logo on both the jersey and shorts.
“The Utah Jazz represent an entire state and its tremendous diversity in landscape and terrain,” said Bart Sharp, senior vice president of marketing for the Utah Jazz. “Snow-capped mountains have been part of our identity in the past, but this year’s uniform design gives us the opportunity to showcase the signature red rocks and canyon lands of southern Utah as well as the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets that exemplify our state.”
A matching alternate basketball court will complement the uniform design in a celebration of Utah. The gradation of colors is featured in the “UTAH” wordmark at center court and on the apron around the basketball court. The Delicate Arch rises from the sideline in a majestic image while the new “Jazz state” logo rests inside the three-point line on both ends of the Vivint Smart Home Arena court.
“Beyond the uniform, we wanted to further connect with the public through a specially designed court that carries the theme of the southern Utah red rocks and canyon lands,” Sharp said. “We incorporated the color bands along the perimeter of the court and showcase the Delicate Arch at midcourt. The synchronization of the uniforms and court demonstrates our pride in the natural beauty of Utah. We are truly proud to showcase our home state on a worldwide platform with the NBA and Nike.”
The red rock uniforms and court will be on display at six home games this season, and the team will wear the “City Edition” uniforms at three away games.
The “City Edition” is the fourth and final uniform design, joining the white (Association) and navy (Icon) uniforms that were unveiled in August and the gold (Statement) edition that came out in September. As previously announced, home teams will pick which uniform they will wear and visiting teams will choose a contrasting uniform within their own assortment.
The entire Utah Jazz Nike Uniform Collection can be viewed at http://www.nba.com/jazz/nike1718.