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Utah Jazz Central
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Above: Maravich wore #7 with Utah.
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Above: "Pistol Pete" serves up the behind-the-back pass.
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1974-1979 The Jazz franchise began in 1974 when it was purchased as an expansion team and placed in New Orleans. The first player on the Jazz's roster was a future Hall of Famer: Pete Maravich, who scored more points than anyone else in NCAA history (a record that still stands today); he left college for the NBA with a scoring average of 44.2 ppg. Known as "Pistol Pete" for his extravagant behind-the-back passes and flamboyant offensive style, he was aquired from the Hawks in exchange for draft picks. The rest of the roster was filled out with picks from that year's expansion draft.
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Above: Adrian Dantley
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Above: Adrian Dantley
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1980-1983 After struggling through several years of losing seasons in New Orleans, the Jazz moved to Utah following the 1979 season. That same year, the Jazz sent Spencer Haywood to the LA Clippers in exchange for Adrian Dantley. Aquiring Dantley, along with drafting Darrell Griffith the next year, proved to be a wise move, as Griffith and Dantley led the Jazz to their first winning season in 1983. They have not had a losing season since.
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Darrell Griffith
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Above: Malone goes in for the special delivery!
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Above: Stockton lays it in on the fast break.
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1984-1996 Utah drafted well in '84 and '85, drafting John Stockton and Karl Malone, respectively. They proved to be the new backbone of the organization, surpassing most of the franchise records set before their arrival. Playing first with Dantley and Griffith and then with Ricky Green and Mark Eaton, the Jazz's prolific duo kept producing and helping to send Utah to the playoffs year after year. With the addition of Jeff Hornacek in 1993, they were ready for a legitimate shot at the NBA Finals. Tons of records were broken during this productive period in Jazz history. Stockton captured the all-time lead for career assists in 1995 and for career steals a year later; he also set the single-season league record for assists with 1,128. Mark Eaton, the Jazz's primary defensive threat, set a single-season league record with 456 blocked shots in 1985. Karl Malone consistently ranked in the top 5 in scoring every year, and was named MVP of the All-Star Game in 1989; he and Stockton were also named Co-MVPs of the All-Star Game in 1993, which was played in front of their hometown crowd in the Delta Center. In addition, the duo was named to the 50 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time in 1996.
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Mark Eaton
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Above: The 3-pointer that sent Utah to the Finals in 1997.
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Above: Karl Malone on the front page after winning MVP honors in 1997.
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1997-Present Utah finally made their way to the Finals in 1997 and 1998, both times losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Karl Malone won regular-season MVP Awards in 1997 and 1999. Their quest for a Championship continues...
Retired Numbers
1 Frank Layden (Coach & GM)
7 Pete Maravich
35 Darrell Griffith
53 Mark Eaton
Championship Banners
Midwest Division Champions - 1984,1989,1992,1996,1997,1998,2000
Western Conference Champions - 1997,1998
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