The Utah Jazz have been forced to stop selling shirts with Michael Jordan’s famous ‘Jumpman’ logo after coming under fire from their own fanbase.
“The Utah Jazz will stop selling Michael Jordan ‘Jumpman’ shirt after backlash from fans, per Andy Larsen.”
The Utah Jazz will stop selling Michael Jordan ‘Jumpman’ shirt after backlash from fans, per @andyblarsen pic.twitter.com/HHLmnuCxrZ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 17, 2023
It certainly wasn’t the brightest idea to put these out by the Jazz when you consider their history with Jordan. The fact that they have now decided to stop selling it makes it clear that it wasn’t mandatory by means to put these out there as part of Nike’s partnership with the NBA.
With Nike being the official apparel provider for the league, every Statement Edition jersey has had the ‘Jumpman’ logo since the 2020-21 season. The fans knew the team couldn’t do anything about that, which is why a big deal wasn’t made out of it, but you can understand their annoyance with this one.
The Statement Edition logos are also small, and they appear on the right shoulder and left leg of the shorts. This one is front and center, right above the Utah Jazz wordmark, and I can’t imagine a single fan of the team wanting to even see something like that.
Michael Jordan And The Bulls Beat The Jazz In The NBA Finals Twice
Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest player ever after he won six championships by going 6-0 in the NBA Finals in the 1990s. He broke the hearts of so many opposing fans, but the Jazz certainly were the ones hurt the most by Jordan.
After years of coming up just short of making the NBA Finals in the Karl Malone–John Stockton era, the Jazz finally made it there in 1997. They boasted a formidable 64-18 record, but standing in their way were Jordan and the Bulls, who had gone 69-13.
The Jazz put in a great effort but were ultimately powerless to prevent a series defeat in six games. Jordan averaged 32.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game to win Finals MVP.
The two sides met in the Finals again in 1998 and once again the outcome was the same, as the Bulls triumphed in six games. Jordan won Finals MVP with averages of 33.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.
Had the Jazz faced any other team those two years, they probably would have won at least one championship. Those two appearances also remain the only times that the franchise has ever made it to the big stage.
You can completely understand if Jordan still haunts the fanbase for giving them two of the most painful moments in their life as a supporter. To then see that jersey would have been almost like a slap in the face for many of them.
Former Jazz Player Said Michael Jordan Was Lucky To Beat Them In 1998
There is a little bit of controversy surrounding the 1998 NBA Finals as well, which makes it just that little bit more painful for Jazz fans. Some decisions went against them in Game 6, and who can ever forget Jordan’s infamous push-off on Bryon Russell before he drilled the game-winner?
Antoine Carr stated that Jordan was lucky to beat the Jazz in 1998 because of them, and then joked that had it not been for the referees, they would have won it. While Carr was just having some fun, I’m certain there would be Jazz fans who believe they would have won it if those decisions didn’t go against them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvvbqAnXKw
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