NBA franchise story

Utah Jazz

The Jazz survived a difficult move from New Orleans, then built remarkable continuity around Stockton and Malone before producing two more distinct, durable playoff cores.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Utah Jazz.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Utah Jazz official team history ↗

The beginning

Franchise era

1974–75—1978–79

Pete Maravich

Truck Robinson

Gail Goodrich

Maravich headlines an unstable beginning

The New Orleans Jazz

Maravich gave the expansion club a local star, but arena costs and traded draft capital made survival in New Orleans impossible.

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Chapter 01

1974–75—1978–79

Franchise era

1979–80—1983–84

Adrian Dantley

Darrell Griffith

Mark Eaton

Dantley carries a fragile franchise

Surviving in Utah

The relocated Jazz struggled financially before a surprise 1984 division title began a run of twenty straight playoff appearances.

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Chapter 02

1979–80—1983–84

Franchise era

1984–85—2002–03

Karl Malone

John Stockton

Mark Eaton

The pick-and-roll becomes permanent

Stockton and Malone

Stockton and Malone formed the league's most durable partnership and led consecutive Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998.

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Chapter 03

1984–85—2002–03

Franchise era

2003–04—2010–11

Deron Williams

Carlos Boozer

Andrei Kirilenko

A rapid rebuild reaches the West finals

Williams and Boozer

Utah missed the playoffs only once before a new pick-and-roll core reached the 2007 conference finals.

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Chapter 04

2003–04—2010–11

Franchise era

2011–12—2016–17

Gordon Hayward

Rudy Gobert

Derrick Favors

Defense grows around Hayward and Gobert

The patient bridge

The Jazz accumulated young talent and developed an elite defense, returning to the second round before Hayward left.

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Chapter 05

2011–12—2016–17

Franchise era

2017–18—2021–22

Donovan Mitchell

Rudy Gobert

Mike Conley

Top-ranked seasons without a deep breakthrough

Mitchell and Gobert

Mitchell's instant scoring and Gobert's defense produced six straight playoff trips and the league's best 2021 record.

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Chapter 06

2017–18—2021–22

Franchise era

2022–23—present

Lauri Markkanen

Walker Kessler

Keyonte George

One contender becomes the next rebuild

The asset-rich reset

Utah traded its stars for a vast collection of picks while Markkanen emerged as an unexpected All-Star centerpiece.

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Chapter 07

2022–23—present

Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Utah Jazz games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · NBA Finals

Bulls vs Jazz

Jun 11, 1997

#02 · NBA Finals

Bulls vs Jazz

Jun 14, 1998

#03 · First Round

Nuggets vs Jazz

Sep 1, 2020

#04 · Regular Season

Lakers vs Jazz

Apr 13, 2016

#05 · Conference Semifinals

Conference Semifinals

Jazz vs Warriors

May 11, 2007

Season history

Past seasons

52 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Utah Jazz games

4,488 total · loaded 10 at a time