Utah Jazz: There’s a Greg Ostertag-inspired street artist on the loose (for real)

To whom do starving street artists turn for creative inspiration, you ask? None other than the Utah Jazz’s Greg Ostertag, of course. And yes, this is a real thing.

Have you ever heard of Banksy, by chance?

If not, he’s an anonymous street artist who runs around England “vandalizing” the spacious sides of stores, fences, retaining walls and street signs with politically- and societally-driven paintings. Nobody knows who he is, but his stuff is hugely popular — it has been since 1990, incredibly.

And if that weren’t a crazy enough concept for a career, as far as Utah Jazz fans are concerned, things get even crazier: believe it or not, there’s an unnamed, Greg Ostertag-obsessed version of Banksy running rampantly around the country doing the exact same thing for NBA fanatics …

I should know — I recently sat down with him:

Tell me a bit about yourself — who you are, what you do, etc.

“My name is Ostertag, and I’m an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. My whole life, I’ve been completely obsessed with NBA hoops. There’s nothing I love more than NBA nostalgia, and I definitely have a soft spot for the forgotten, lesser-known players.

“Since 2014, I’ve been designing, printing and slapping stickers of (or about) Greg Ostertag across the U.S. and several countries. My day job has me working as a social media and influencer marketing manager for a sports brand, but when I’m not doing that, I’m constantly creating art.”

I have to ask: why build your brand around Greg Ostertag?

“So, for some context, every graffiti writer or street artist uses a ‘tag’ to hide their identity. When I was coming up with my own, I knew I wanted it to have something to do with basketball. ‘Ostertag’ was simply too perfect to pass on.

“For NBA fans, it summons immediate nostalgia: Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, John Stockton and those massive mountain jerseys the Utah Jazz wore in the late 90s. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it literally has the word ‘tag’ in it, you know? Inside and outside of Utah, Ostertag was an underappreciated player. Doing things this way, I feel like I’m doing my part to give a second life of sorts to Greg, who is an absolute legend.

“The first time I wrote ‘Ostertag’ down on paper, it made sense — I ran with it.”

I understand you’ve met Greg — what was that like?

“Man, it was epic.

“A few years back, I was at a bachelor party in Las Vegas during the NBA’s Summer League. I was hung over but managed to make my way to the gym at the ARIA Resort & Casino to try and sweat out what I felt. About five minutes in, I quickly realized I was in no shape to do anything.

“As luck would have it, though, as soon as I walked outside, I ran into Ostertag and his wife. I can’t express this enough — even with his playing days well behind him, the man is massive. Nervous, I mustered up the courage to introduce myself: ‘Hey, Greg! I’m a big fan!’

“He thanked me and shook my hand. Fearful of missing my chance, without thinking, I blurted out, ‘Actually, we follow each other on Instagram — I’m @ostertagmademedoit!’

“He looked right down at me and said, ‘You’re the guy who’s putting up all the weird stickers of me?’ I’d thought I’d offended him, so I started to apologize, only for his wife to immediately cut me off, saying, ‘Of course we’re not offended! We love your work! Our whole family follows you on Instagram! We have to take a picture of you two together!’

“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. It wasn’t me asking to take a picture with him, but his wife, Shannon, asking Greg to take a picture with me. Hands down, this was one of the best moments of my life.”

And you’ve done some special work for Tag on his birthday, right?

“Shannon shot me a DM on Instagram, asking me if I’d create something unique for Ostertag’s upcoming birthday. Free of charge, I was happy to get her something she’d be proud to give to Greg. And apparently, he loved it.

“Another all-time moment.”

Where are some of the oddest places you’ve stuck Ostertag stickers?

“That’s a tough one …

“I’ve placed well over 1,000 stickers of Ostertag’s mug all over the world. If you happen to be in New York City and venture into some of the grungier bars on the Lower East Side, you’ll likely spot a few of my stickers.

“Eventually, I’d love to sneak one into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. It might not stay put for long, but hey — a guy can dream.”

What else are you doing around the NBA with your art?

“I’m glad you asked.

“Right now, I’m actually working on this cool NBA zine project with a friend of mine. One hundred percent of the profits we earn from the publication of the zine will go to help support the COVID-19 relief efforts all across the country. It might not be much, but we want to do our part.

“Basically, we’ve pulled together more than 35 of the most talented NBA artists and writers we know of to make this happen. The zine will be called “DECADES” and will feature players from every decade of NBA play, starting with 1950 — Utah’s No. 00 will make the cut, no doubt.

“I’m not about making social media plugs for myself or my work, but if you’d like to order a copy for yourself, simply keep tabs on my Instagram account in the coming weeks.”

Last one: do you now consider yourself a full-blown Utah Jazz fan?

“That’s a really good final question — you’ve done this before, haven’t you?

“I’ll say this much: before I began working under the “Ostertag” persona, I wasn’t a Utah Jazz fan. I wasn’t even close to a Jazz fan, actually. These days, though, with Quin Snyder looking like he’s about to take down Batman in the next 15 minutes and Donovan Mitchell dominating games all by his lonesome, I find myself rooting for the Utah Jazz more than ever. I don’t plan on changing that.

“It feels good to be an adopted member of #TakeNote Nation.”

Let’s put a big, fancy bow on this thing, peeps.

Born and bred, I’m a Jazzman. Still, I can’t help but admire Ostertag’s (the artist) commitment to Ostertag’s (the player) career. For an entire decade, I watched all seven-plus feet of Tag bobble incoming passes in the post, brick crucial free throws and refuse to dunk a basketball …

All this with a bad haircut, mind you.

Thankfully, in 2020, Ostertag’s influence is limited to the streets — and the art found therein.