Utah Jazz: TNT's Sager likes to add color to broadcasts

It's almost a shame the Utah Jazz didn't wear their throwback uniforms Thursday night.

It would've seemed fitting for them to sport their blast-from-the-past colors and a splash of old-school style with Craig Sager in town.

If you don't know him by name — though he has become a popular sideshow in the NBA these days — you'd probably recognize him by his eye-catching apparel.

"I have fun with it," Sager said.

So much colorful fun that Sager makes rainbows look kinda dull.

His eclectic closet collection looks like it's been attacked by a large box of Crayons and his oft-bright outfits appear to require at least eight D batteries.

"It's easy to see him," Jerry Sloan deadpanned.

It certainly was Thursday.

For the Magic-Jazz game, he sported a black jacket with sparkly pin-stripes, a patterned gold vest and matching coat-pocket hanky, a dark tie with diagonal stripes and — the piece de resistance — some shiny, snazzy gold shoes to bring it all together.

"Cool dude, man. I love to see his outfits," said Jazz rookie Eric Maynor, "just to see what he has on."

Even conservative Jazz coach Jerry Sloan admitted — prior to seeing Thursday's attire, it should be noted — that the wild-dressing sideline reporter usually looks "pretty good."

The reactions to Sager — who is as serious about studying up on athletes, coaches and teams he's covering as he is shopping for show — are not always that positive.

Sager was once compared to a circus act by Phil Jackson, who mockingly told the reporter on live TV that his buttery-colored duds looked like a "Bozo the Clown suit" and were scaring his players.

Kevin Garnett once chided Sager's clothing selection on TNT by saying, "You can't just grab something from the 1970s and try to bring it back."

Another time, Garnett playfully gave Sager a suggestion of what he should do with a different ensemble — it's always a different combo for a particular sport, by the way. The get-up on this night included a pink plaid blazer, a red and white striped shirt, a purple and blue tie with polka dots, and red pants, socks and shoes.

"I am stressing to you," Garnett said in an interview, "you take this and you burn it. ... Just burn it. Don't ask no questions."