Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team competes in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The Jazz play in the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Jazz originated as the New Orleans Jazz, entering the NBA for the 1974-1975 season. The team played in New Orleans for five seasons before moving to Utah for the 1979-1980 season. The team’s biggest star in New Orleans was Pete Maravich, one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The Jazz did not experience its first winning season until 1983-1984, when it won its first division championship behind forward Adrian Dantley and guard Darrell Griffith.
The Jazz became one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference beginning in the late 1980’s. Under coach Jerry Sloan, the team won or tied for five division championships during the 1990’s and reached the NBA finals in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998. They were defeated both seasons by the Chicago Bulls. The stars of those teams were guard John Stockton and forward Karl Malone, two of the greatest players in NBA history, along with guard Jeff Hornacek.
Utah won the division championship in 1999-2000, losing to Portland in the second round of the playoffs. The Jazz also won division championships in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, led by forward Carlos Boozer and guard Deron Williams. Under coach Quin Snyder, and led by forward Gordon Hayward and center Rudy Gobert, Utah again won the division championship in 2016-2017. The 2020-2021 team, featuring Gobert and guards Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson, had the league’s best win-loss record.
See also Malone, Karl ; Maravich, Pete ; Stockton, John .
