Utah Jazz

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Lore & Background

The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years as an expansion team. Although 10 seasons elapsed before the Jazz qualified for their first playoff appearance in 1984, they did not miss the playoffs again until 2004. During the late 1980s, John Stockton and Karl Malone arose as the franchise players for the team and formed one of the most famed pick and roll duos in NBA history. Led by Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan, who took over from Frank Layden in 1988, they became one of the powerhouse teams of the 1990s, culminating in two NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998, where they lost both times to the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls. Both Stockton and Malone moved on in 2003. After missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the Jazz returned to prominence under the on-court leadership of point guard Deron Williams. However, partway through the 2010–11 season, the Jazz began restructuring after Sloan retired and Williams was traded. Quin Snyder was hired as head coach in June 2014. With the development of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell into All-Stars, the Jazz launched themselves back into title contention, eventually earning the league's best regular season record in the 2020–21 season. However, following disappointing early playoff exits in both 2021 and 2022, the Jazz traded Mitchell and Gobert in the 2022 offseason and entered a new era of rebuilding centered around Lauri Markkanen, who was acquired in the Mitchell trade.

In Their Own Story

The narrative focus remains exclusively on Bernard King's trajectory. The source states that after his stint with the Utah Jazz in the 1979–80 season, where he averaged 9.3 points per game in 19 games, a trade occurred before the start of the 1980–81 season sending him to the Golden State Warriors. In his first year there, he played alongside 1980 NBA All-Star World B. Free, Joe Barry Carroll, and Clifford Ray, averaging 21.9 points per game. The following year, his average rose to 23.2 points per game before he was traded again to the New York Knicks just before the 1982–83 season.

Reader's Guide

The franchise began as an expansion team in the 1974–75 season as the New Orleans Jazz. The Jazz relocated from New Orleans to Salt Lake City on June 8, 1979. The team has played its home games at the Delta Center since the 1991–92 season. Key eras include the early years in New Orleans with Pete Maravich (1974–1979), the Frank Layden era (1979–1984), the Malone and Stockton era (1984–2003), and subsequent rebuilding periods.

Did You Know?

• The Jazz were originally based in New Orleans and kept the name after moving to Utah despite the lack of a jazz music scene in Salt Lake City.
• John Stockton and Karl Malone formed one of the most famed pick and roll duos in NBA history.
• The Jazz reached the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, losing both times to the Chicago Bulls.
• The Jazz earned the league's best regular season record in the 2020–21 season.