The Phoenix Suns have released the new design for an Aztec-themed jersey that is all black in color with purple trim and features a silver-tinted PHX lettering in the center. The design of the jersey is “A tribute to early ancestors of The Valley,” as the Suns’ Twitter account put it. The front of the jersey is centered around an intricate Aztec Sun Stone, while the Aztec Death Stone is placed below the numbers on the back. The jersey has received mixed reviews from fans, but regardless, it’ll be one of the five jerseys that Phoenix will be rotating through during this 2021 season.
This is a special season for the Suns franchise because it marks the 25th anniversary of legend Steve Nash joining the team. The Suns selected Nash fifteenth overall in the 1996 draft, and he quickly became a basketball prodigy. Nicknamed “Nashty” for his ability to score quickly in crunch time, Nash’s “speedy scoring” mentality became an identity for the Suns.
The team earned the nickname “The Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns” for their uncanny ability to score buckets quickly towards the end of the game. The Suns finished the season with a record of 40-42 and were able to make the playoffs. Led by all-time greats Nash, Sam Cassell and Jason Kidd, the Suns put its stamp on the NBA watchlist.
It was the season that marked the first of many successful years for Nash and the Suns franchise, and during all of the success, the Suns donned some of the coolest jerseys the franchise has ever seen.
With an array of orange, purple, white and black jerseys, the Suns gained respect not only because of their talented skill players, but also because of the dazzling visual appeal they possessed on the court.
Like the 2021 Suns, the team from 1996 rotated between five jerseys, meaning there are a combined ten jerseys between the historic team and today’s team. And while both feature some of the game’s most gifted players (Steve Nash, Devin Booker, Sam Cassell, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Deandre Ayton, I’m getting goosebumps!), there appears to be a dispute between which team wears the better jerseys. Is it the ‘96 Suns and their classic focus on the flamed logo, or is it the 2021 Suns and their color-oriented approach to jersey style? The choice is up to you, but either way, here are my power rankings of the jerseys worn during the Steve Nash and Devin Booker eras.
My decisions here are based on the jersey’s visual appearance, aesthetics, attention to detail and the likeliness that fans would want to sport the jersey on their backs.
See to what extent you agree or disagree with me:
10. 1996 Striped Alternate Jerseys
Credit: ArtFire.com
To be completely objective, this jersey was made with little care for visual appeal. To be completely subjective, this is one of the worst jerseys the NBA has ever seen. The 1996 Suns had such a sparkling lineup of jerseys with gorgeous color schemes and trimmed aesthetics. The jerseys that accompanied this one look so slick, had such a beautiful outfacing appearance and were the centerpiece of any fashion show. So why did the jersey designers create a prison uniform to go along with them?
These black and white striped jerseys are atrocious and don’t nearly show how historically talented that team’s roster was. Imagine a basketball game between the Kobe Bryant-led Charlotte Hornets and a group of Phoenix referees that couldn’t find any jerseys before game time. These uniforms look like they’re straight from the throw-away pile of the Annual Umpire and Referee Convention, and it would be shocking to see anyone want to wear this outside of joking purposes.
No need to waste time here. Next!
9. 2021 Statement Jerseys
Credit: Macys.com
These jerseys aren’t necessarily bad, but it would be hard to sell me on their carrot-colored hue. The design is simple, and simplicity has a lot of potential if the jerseys are printed in a color that isn’t visually blinding. But these jerseys look like a bad accident at a neon paint factory and some poor employee fell into a vat of bright orange pigment.
The jersey is overly domineering, too intense in the color scheme, and has a bad ratio of orange to purple. The trim on the sleeves, down the sides and on the collar does limited justice to the Suns’ purple secondary color, and the logo in the center is drowned out because it is the same tint as the jersey itself. These jerseys are trying to capitalize on a specific color in the unique range that is presented by Phoenix Suns. But the designers chose the wrong color to get the job done, which puts these jerseys at the bottom of these power rankings.
8. 2021 Association Jerseys
Credit: ArtFire.com
Unlike the orange creamsicle that was the last jersey design, these all-white threads with the full Suns lettering are a beaut. Not only does the purple and orange trim add an elegant touch of the Suns’ coloring, but these jerseys are so silky smooth because of the white base that highlights the Phoenix logo. Envision a cake with vanilla frosting and letters that read the word “Suns” — that’s what these jerseys remind me of. They’re sweet enough to be the showcase at a wedding.
I take away some style points because of the size disparity between the number on front and the number on the back: the one below the player’s last name is really big and draws attention from his last name. But what’s lost in number appearance is made up in the lettering. The “Suns” wordmark is a work of art, and the letters are written not only in an attractive font but also are divided on the inside, with the top half being a darker orange and the bottom half being a lighter orange. That dark-light dynamic adds a shadow effect to the Suns logo, and that goes perfectly with the purple-orange trim that has the same appeal. Overall this jersey will be a classic for a long time because it’s simple, it’s clean, and it doesn’t have any glaring mistakes. The reason this one doesn’t rank any higher is that the following jerseys are just that much better.
7. 1996 Classic Jerseys
Credit: shop.suns.com
Didn’t I tell you that it would get better? These 1996 throwbacks are an absolute gem and will be for years to come. Not only is the giant Sun on the front an ideal representation of the Suns’ logo, but it also shows the fun, organic nature of the sport of basketball. The Sun is shooting up, because that’s where the team was going. The lettering is all purple, which contrasts nicely with the orange flames.
The jersey is fun, active and inviting with its diagonal slant. As it turned out, it represented a Suns team that didn’t have to be perfectly straight or conform to the rest of the NBA, with a brand of basketball exclusive to the city of Phoenix.
6. 1996 Purple Classic Jerseys
Credit: Amazon.com
These jerseys feature the same print design as the 1996 White Classic jerseys, but these are colored in a lavish purple that is not too bright and not too dark. These are just right. The contrast of orange and purple help the logo pop off the jersey.
Purple is also what many would consider a royal color: it’s the shade that results from mixing the strongest warm color, red and the strongest cool color, blue. Purple suggests riches and high status and that’s exactly what the 1996 Suns were: rich in talent and recognized on a national scale. Those Suns were different; they were the dawn of a new era of Phoenix basketball, a team that accumulated win after win and featured icons like Dan Majerle, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Charles Barkley. Deserving of royalty.
5. 2021 Icon Jerseys
Credit: nbastore.com
I like this jersey because it brings a modern flair to the historic Phoenix coloring. This is the kind of jersey I would describe as “sharp” because the print lettering, trim and number are refined to a grain of sand. There are no extraneous lines or graphics, suggesting the down-to-business mindset that this Suns team often adopts.
For example, after the Suns’ sloppy Game 5 loss to the Clippers in the 2020 Western Conference Finals, Phoenix dug deep, found its rhythm and capitalized on every single mistake that LA made in Game 6. And it helped the Suns win the series. The team put its head down, got to work and got the results it wanted. This jersey represents the “suit and tie” mentality that Phoenix can adopt.
4. 2021 New Aztec-Themed Jerseys
Credit: nba.com
I think these jerseys represent a brand of basketball that is culturally aware because they display the Aztec Sun Stone and Death Stone. This jersey is the freshest of any of the others, not because it’s only a few weeks old, but because the purple trim and purple outline on the lettering are so sleek and so different from most NBA jerseys.
Did you notice that the letter and number are inverted in color? The letters are white inside with a purple outline while the numbers have the opposite. That’s a designer’s touch that shows impeccable attention to detail. What’s more, the PHX lettering has sharp points: another minute detail that symbolizes the Suns’ aggressiveness. The triangle in the middle has sun beams that go in all directions, conceptualizing a team that has a bright future.
4. 1996 Orange Classic Jerseys
Credit: ebay.com
These jerseys are like the 2021 Statement jerseys, except done right. The orange is darker and less of an eyesore, the trim is black which is different from the popular orange or purple trim, and the Suns logo is like a symphony in print. The orange basketball fits seamlessly into the outline made by the black outward spikes, and it’s centered right on the player’s heart. That speaks volumes to the team’s exceptional grit and determination. The Suns were defined not only by performance within the court lines, but also outside of them. The speeches in the locker room, the team camaraderie and each individual’s character combined are what make a team a team. The ‘96 Suns were masters of the trade while being good people outside of it. It was a team with heart that shot for the sun.
2. 1996 Black Alternate Jerseys
Credit: stadionshop.com
The 1996 Black Alternate jerseys remind me of Batman: rich and cool. Most fans that wear throwback Suns jerseys will wear these jerseys because of their prodigious dark curb appeal. The basketball logo is stand alone, as was Phoenix at the time. It was them versus everybody. The white lettering explodes off the jersey in contrast with the black background, which shouts to the world, “SUNS!” This is the Phoenix jersey that affirms the team’s unafraid, dog-like mentality. And who seems the best equipped to handle that? Batman. Just like Bruce Wayne, the Suns were afraid of nothing and backed down to no one, not even the Chicago Bulls and Superman himself, Michael Jordan.
If purple is for kings, black is for gods. This jersey is simply special and encapsulates all the best that the 1996 Phoenix Suns were. Gods of basketball.
1. 2021 “The Valley” Jerseys
Credit: jerseysfamily.com
Wow. The Valley, stand up because this is your uncontested winner. These jerseys look like they are sent by aliens from Mars because the design is out of this world. The purple-to-orange gradient is done so smoothly and so flawlessly, it looks like the exquisite, colorful sunset above the Valley. The cursive writing shows a fearless Phoenix mindset, and the black threads surround the silhouette forming a centerpiece.
Even better, these jerseys are the only of the ten that reach the audience of the entire Valley and not just Phoenix. These also display the rigidness of the mountains surrounding the valley, which is emblematic of how an NBA team is going to operate: there will be ups and downs just like our mountains, and the view from the top is amazing. The Suns are synonymous with the extraordinary people of the valley, climbing the mountains and bracing the falls. The summit is the NBA Championship. Last year’s squad came within two games of winning it all, and this year the goal is to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
