A Basic History of the Utah Jazz Basketball Team

The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association. The Jazz play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the NBA.

The team is currently owned by Larry H. Miller and coached by Jerry Sloan. The team's official colors are navy blue, ice blue and purple. The team currently plays its home games in EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The franchise was founded in 1974 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The team was named the Jazz to reflect the musical taste of New Orleans. The team moved from New Orleans to Utah in 1979, but the owner decided to keep the name Jazz.

The Jazz have won a total of seven division titles in 1984, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2007. The team won two conference titles in 1997 and 1998, although they eventually lost in the finals both times to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Jazz have never won the NBA Championship.

"Pistol" Pete Maravich is the only player for the Jazz to currently be in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. This will change in the near future, however, when Karl Malone and John Stockton are enshrined. The duo is considered one of the best combinations in NBA history, and they helped lead the Utah Jazz to their two conference championships.

A former broadcaster for the Jazz, "Hot" Rod Hundley, is also enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Jazz currently have eight numbers that have been retired, seven for players and one for a coach, Frank Layden. The players whose numbers have been retired are Adrian Dantley - 4, Pete Maravich - 7, John Stockton - 12, Jeff Hornaceck - 14, Karl Malone - 32, Darrell Griffith - 35, and Mark Eaton - 53.

Some other former fan favorites for the Utah Jazz include Greg Ostertag, Bryon Russell and Thurl Bailey.

John Stockton has played the most games as a member of the Jazz, playing in 1,504 games in his career. Karl Malone played the most minutes as a member of the Jazz, however, accumulating 53,479. Karl Malone is the all-time points leader with 36,374, and rebounds leader with 14,601. John Stockton is the all-time assists leader with 15,806, and all-time steals leader with 3,265. Mark Eaton has the most blocks in Jazz history with 3,064.

The current Jazz team is led by a young point guard, Deron Williams, and a strong, dominating power forward, Carlos Boozer. The Utah Jazz is a young team, but many believe the team has a bright future.