Jae Crowder and Derrick Favors opened their Christmas gifts early. The two Utah Jazz big men got a sneak peek earlier this month of the team’s Earned Edition uniforms, a green-and-gold alternate that the team will sport during its Christmas matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers.
“The green just stands out,” Crowder said. “It pops a little more than our others.”
Favors, too, was a fan.
“I like them,” he said. “They’re something different, something fresh, something the fans can be excited about. Hopefully we look good on TV.”
The Nike Earned uniforms are a reward for each franchise that made the playoffs last season. But for the Jazz, they are also part of the fabric of the franchise.
Green uniforms have been a part of Utah Jazz history from the very beginning.
The team wore green for road games from 1979, the franchise’s first season after moving from New Orleans, through 1984.
The green jerseys were reintroduced in 2009, as part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classic Nights program. Deron Williams was wearing that retro green when he went for 35 points and 13 dimes in a win over the Rockets in 2010.
Point guard Sundiata Gaines, then on a 10-day contract with the Jazz, was in green when he hit a game-winner to beat LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers that same season.
Kyle Korver’s birthday fell on St. Patrick’s 2010. With Korver and his teammates in green, the sharpshooter scored 20 points off the bench to help beat Minnesota.
The green jersey has also been a part of two Utah Jazz dunk contest appearances: Darrell Griffith in 1984 and Jeremy Evans' contest win in 2012.
The team has had some variation of a green alternate look each season since, with the exception of the 2017-18 campaign. The Jazz wore green when they closed out their playoff series with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017.
“It was a good luck charm for us in the playoffs,” Favors said. “Hopefully it can bring us good luck on Christmas.”