Sports Teams with Purple Colors

Purple is one of the more underutilized colors in all of sports—it’s bold yet flashy, and pairs nicely with a number of other colors as well. And if this simple sentence isn’t enough to sway you, let’s take a look at the few (smart) sports teams that are in fact utilizing purple, and then we will talk!

• Minnesota Vikings (NFL)
• Colorado Rockies (MLB)
• Sacramento Kings (NBA)
• Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
• Utah Jazz (NBA)
• Orlando City SC (MLS)

Minnesota Vikings (NFL)

Probably the team that first comes to mind when thinking of purple and professional sports. I mean, the team is routinely referred to as “The Purple People Eaters.”

Here is a cool nugget on the Vikings and their purple prowess. Apparently in 1964 they were slated to wear white jerseys with purple pants, but the Lions, their opponent, brought their white jerseys as well. To save confusion, the Vikings ended up changing into purple jerseys, creating their first all-purple uniform for the first time. And then believe it or not, they didn’t wear all-purple again until the NFL’s “color rush” era in 2007.

The Vikings’ purple is HEX is #4F2683 (and their gold is #FFC62F).

Colorado Rockies (MLB)

When you’re an expansion team entering the league in as a new team where there are 20+ others with their own histories and color schemes, it’s tough to establishan identity unless you go off the wall a bit.

When the Colorado Rockies entered Major League Baseball in 1993, they did so with with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins.

The Marlins went one direction with a flashy teal (which fits Florida, marlins, etc.) and the Rockies went purple and black. (Ironically, Orlando City SC of the MLS entered the league as an expansion team as mostly purple; HEX #633492.)

Anyway, I don’t think we will see an all-purple uniform rendition from the Rockies, but never say never!

The Rockies’ purple is HEX is #333366.

Sacramento Kings (NBA)

The Kings have only been the Sacramento Kings since the mid-80s, which is an important note when we talk about purple sports teams. Meaning, when the Kings relocated from Kansas City (where they were also known as the Royals for quite some time) in 1985, they maintained the same color scheme—royal blue, white, red.

A few years later in 1994, the Kings turned to the majestic color of purple (along with silver, black, and white), and purple is still very much the main color for the California team.

The Kings’ purple HEX code is 5A2D81.

Read More: Guide to California MLB Teams

In fact, did you know that new for this season, when the kids win a game, they light a large purple “victory beam” that extends into the sky? Cool stuff.

Los Angeles Lakers

While the Lakers are the most popular franchise of any on this list, I think people sometimes forget that besides their main yellow that they are definitely known for, purple is the other that helps form the identity and brand of team.

For me personally, it’s a weird split—when I think about the days of Magic and Kareem, yellow is the first to come to mind, but with Kobe and Shaq, it’s definitely purple. Now, back in present day Lebron, I associate them more with yellow again. Don’t ask me why, just a personal observation.

The Lakers’ purple HEX is #552583.

Will we see more sports teams “sporting” purple any time soon? I hope so. There have been instances, as is the case with the Los Angeles Kings NHL team, where purple was once a primary team color, but has now given way to others!

An interesting ending note—three of the teams mentioned above (Lakers, Orlando City FC, and the Vikings) pair yellow or gold with purple.