Would You Rather: Suns bring back a ’93-’94 throwback uniform or release a new design?

‘Would You Rather’ is a fun game to play to kill time, create debate, and get to know someone. Never meant to be serious, the questions generally sound like, “would you rather have four hands or four feet?” or “lose your car or all the pictures you’ve ever taken?”. Bottom line? They are scenarios that will not happen. Or could they?

I thought that would be a fun game to play when discussing the Phoenix Suns. The Suns Report podcast posed the question to our listeners and they didn’t disappoint with their responses and scenarios!

Therefore, since we don’t have much to debate about, I thought I’d write a couple of articles breaking down some of the questions provided by our listeners.

Would you rather the Suns brought back the ‘93 sunburst jersey’s or release a new set of permanent uniforms?

Case for the 1993’s:

This question alone brings up one simple topic to discuss: do you like the current Phoenix Suns uniform portfolio? If you do, then the answer is easy: bring back the Barkley’s!

The current jersey was released when the league partnered with Nike prior to the 2017-2018 season. The Association and Icon editions of the uniform stayed true to the past with home white and away purple, adding some trim that the previous iteration lacked.

The 2019-2020 season saw the edition of the Statement Swingman orange unis and a new black City edition (the Los Suns jersey).

It is the 5th generation of Suns jersey’s, preceded by the “Speedline era” (2013-2018), the ‘Nash era’ (2000-2013), the ‘Sunburst era’ (1992-2000), and the ‘Sans/Wild West era’ (1968-1992).

One thing that is clearly lacking from the Suns current collection is a good throwback. The Suns can follow suit and do what teams like the Lakers, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Rockets are doing: reflecting on their past and paying homage to their history.

If the team were to bring back a throwback set, why not the sunburst’s? SI.com has the set ranked #14 on their best jersey’s of all-time. These are the uniforms the team wore than last time it experience a moment of NBA Finals basketball. Many consider the black alternate jersey that was introduced in 1994 as the best Suns top ever.

Image DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. rocking that apparel?! I’d be buying a jersey or two...

Case for new uni’s:

If you don’t like the Suns current threads (I’m raising my hand here) then you most likely would prefer that the team spent some time redesigning their image.

I’m not completely opposed to the teams look, but I feel the creativity is lacking. There is no homage in their design, there is nothing special or unique about their scheme. I am not a fan of the font shadowing on the Icon jerseys (and would prefer if the name of the back was white rather than gray). Call me weird, but I feel that the numbers are too skinny.

The Suns color palette is unique. Think about it. Who else rocks the purple and orange in professional sports? No one. Only the Clemson Tigers in the NCAA are of note. Add the fact that the Suns use black as an alternate and you could make some interesting uniforms!

The Suns will have a modern state-of-the-art work facility opening in 2021 and Project 201 (the Suns ‘reimagining’ of Talking Stick Resort Arena) will greet players and fans prior to the start of the 2020-2021 season. Why not add some new uniforms to the mix?

You can scroll through the internet endlessly and find some pretty amazing designs by fans. One of my favorite ideas is by Twitter designer @SansfordAndSuns. He has created contemporary uniform set that pays tribute to the Suns past:

https://twitter.com/SansfordAndSuns/status/1201555269752197121?s=20

The Verdict:

That is for you to decide!

Personally, I would like to see new uniforms for the Phoenix Suns; something creative and flashy. Yes, we just received new unis three seasons ago, but I feel they were poorly done. The Nike designers slightly modified the Speedline jersey’s (which are easily the worst in Suns history...don’t get me started on the sleeved gray look).

So what do you think? Let the debate begin!

John Voita will be providing ‘Would You Rather’ articles for the next few weeks in an effort to talk about Suns history and spark some Suns debate. We hope you enjoy!

You can hear John talk about some of the topics on the ‘Would You Rather’ episode of The Suns Report podcast.