This eye-popping New Orleans Jazz warm up jacket was worn by Hall of Famer “Pistol” Pete Maravich
during the 1977 season and was given to a fan during a halftime contest on April 10th, 1977 sponsored
by the Jazz.
The NBA came to the city of New Orleans for the first time in 1974. The upstart team known as the Jazz
hoped to hit a sweet note with fans by acquiring Maravich from the Atlanta Hawks. A star in college at
Louisiana State, Maravich was a bonafide showman. He wore a signature pair of floppy good-luck sweat
socks that always appeared to need washing. He shot the ball from anywhere and everywhere. He never
made a simple pass when he could make an entertaining one, so his assists regularly came from behind the
back or through the legs. Though the Jazz posted modest records during the 1970’s, they were blessed with
a player who emerged as one of the great legends in the history of the game, named one of the NBA’s Fifty
Greatest Players of all time in 1996. LOA from MEARS.
Manufactured by Sand Knit, the “Designed & Tailored Exclusively for the New Orleans Jazz, Medalist,
Sandknit” tag is found in the collar. The tag is intact, but the right edge of the stitching has pulled away.
To the right of the manufacturers tag is Maravich’s uniform number 7 identifier, screen printed on a square
swatch (zigzag stitching). The seven snap enclosures show traces of their original white paint that has
mostly flecked away from wear. The reverse of the jacket sports the “JAZZ” logo, which is factory screened
in white and yellow. The jacket exhibits heavy game wear, appropriate for pregame activities and bench use
including yellowing from perspiration around the neck area and white sleeve openings. With the exception
of the loose tag stitching and the wear to the snap paint, the jacket is all-original and remains in great
condition.