The memories of Michael Jordan’s victories over the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals still sting for Salt Lake City residents. That’s why some fans didn’t take kindly to the Utah Jazz selling “Jumpman” merchandise in their team store.
In 1997, under the leadership of head coach Jerry Sloan, stars like Karl Malone and John Stockton took the Jazz to the NBA Finals, only to be defeated by Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. Then, in 1998, the same story played out, with the Jazz falling to the Bulls once again.
While the shirt is a standard design from the Jordan brand, available for every NBA team, it didn’t sit well with the Salt Lake City crowd. The fan reaction was so negative that the Jazz decided to remove the merchandise from their shelves, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. It just goes to show that some wounds run so deep that not even the passage of time can heal them, especially when they’re related to heartbreaking losses on the basketball court.
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
The unforgettable image of Jordan sinking the game-winning shot in 1998 and his legendary “Flu Game” continue to haunt Jazz fans. These memories were further etched into their minds when “The Last Dance” docuseries was released a few years ago. This is why many of them were quite upset to see the team’s name beneath Jordan’s iconic “Jumpman” logo.
