subject: The Utah Jazz Tickets : The Utah Jazz Became One Of The Powerhouse Teams In Nba [print this page] The Utah Jazz are a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise began in 1974 as the New Orleans Jazz, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, but the team moved to Utah in 1979 after just five seasons.
The Jazz were one of the most unsuccessful teams in the league in their early years, and it would be 10 years before they made a playoff appearance (in 1984). They would not miss the playoffs again until 2004.
During the late 1980s, John Stockton and Karl Malone arose as the franchise players for the team, and formed one of the most famed point guard/power forward duos in NBA history. Led by coach Jerry Sloan, who took over for Frank Layden in 1988, they became one of the powerhouse teams of the 1990s, culminating in two NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998, where they lost both times to the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan.
Both Stockton and Malone moved on in 2003. After missing the playoffs for three seasons the Jazz have returned to prominence under the on-court leadership of the franchise point guard Deron Williams. As of 2010, the Jazz are the only team in the Big Four sports leagues located in the state of Utah.
In 1974, the Jazz franchise began in New Orleans, Louisiana. The team's first major move was to trade for star player Pete Maravich from the Atlanta Hawks for two first-round draft picks, three second-round picks, and one third-round pick over the next three years.
Although he was considered one of the most entertaining players in the league and won the scoring championship in 1977 with 31.1 points per game, the record while in New Orleans was 39/43 in the 1977/78 season. Maravich struggled with knee injuries from that season onward.
Venue issues were a continual problem for the team while in New Orleans. In the Jazz's first season, when they played in the Loyola University Fieldhouse, the basketball court was raised so high that the players' association made the team put a net around the court so that players wouldn't fall off of the court and into the stands.
Later, they played games in the Louisiana Superdome, but things were no better; due to high demand for the stadium, onerous lease terms and Maravich's constant knee problems.
For instance, during the 1977/78 season, the Jazz were in the midst of a playoff drive when Mardi Gras festivities forced the team on a month long road trip. Even if they had made the playoffs that year, they would have been forced to find another place to play in the event of a conflict.
On their way out of the Big Easy, the Jazz were dealt one final humiliation when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Magic Johnson with the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. The pick would have belonged to the Jazz had they not traded it to Los Angeles to acquire Gail Goodrich.
Since the team's move from New Orleans to Salt Lake City in 1979, the Utah Jazz have worn several uniforms throughout their franchise history. From 1979-1996, the Jazz' home uniforms consisted of the "basketball forming J music note to write on Jazz" logo on the center chest, with purple numbers.
The only modification to this uniform was the word "Utah" being added to the center chest logo in 1985. From 1979-1984, the Jazz' road uniforms were dark green, with the aforementioned Jazz logo on the center chest and gold numbers.
For the 1984-85 season, the dark green road uniforms were changed to purple, with white trim added around the gold numbers. These uniforms were worn until the 1995-96 season.
For the 1996-97 season, the Jazz drastically updated their logos and uniforms, with a new color scheme of purple, copper and turquoise. Their new uniform set featured a silhouette of the Wasatch Range on the center chest, with a stylish new Jazz script, and purple & turquoise details.
On the road purple jersey, the white mountain range gradually fades to purple just above the numbers, which are white, with copper interior trim and teal outlining. On the home white jersey, the numbers are purple, with white interior trim and teal outlining. The Jazz wore these jerseys until the 2003-04 season.
The Jazz also introduced an alternate black jersey in the 1998-99 season, with the Jazz script on the center chest, but without the Wasatch Range silhouette. On this jersey, both the Jazz script and numbers are white, with purple interior trim and copper outlining, and copper side panels. These jerseys were worn until the 2003-04 season.
