Gordon Hayward Franchise Player Era

Lore & Background

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. During the late 1980s, John Stockton and Karl Malone arose as the franchise players and formed one of the most famed pick and roll duos in NBA history. Led by Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan, they became one of the powerhouse teams of the 1990s, culminating in two NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. After Stockton and Malone moved on in 2003, the Jazz returned to prominence under point guard Deron Williams. 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 earned the league's best regular season record in the 2020–21 season. 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.

Reader's Guide

Therefore, no information about Gordon Hayward's tenure, draft, trade, or injury is available from the source.

Did You Know?

• The Jazz kept the name after moving to Utah because there was not enough time before the 1979–80 season to receive league approval for a name change.
• John Stockton was booed by Jazz fans when he was selected in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft.
• Mark Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks per game in the 1984–85 season, still an NBA single-season record.