John Stockton and Mark Eaton are among the players with numbers retired by Utah.
The New Orleans Jazz became the Utah Jazz in 1979, and while “Jazz” isn’t the most-apropos nickname for a team in Salt Lake City, the franchise’s success in Salt Lake City has surpassed what it did in the Big Easy. Owing in part to a true home-court advantage, the Jazz have had some excellent years and even played in a couple of NBA Finals. Although the franchise has yet to win an NBA title, it boasts numerous Hall Of Famers and notable retired numbers. The Jazz have retired numbers for former owner Larry Miller, broadcaster Rod Hundley(11), and coaches Frank Layden(1) and Jerry Sloan(122). Beyond that, seven players have had their numbers retired by the team, and here they are.
4 — Adrian Dantley
Dantley was quite the bucket-getter for the Jazz. While those too young to remember the go-go ‘80s of NBA basketball may not be aware of the Hall of Famers game, he made six All-Star Games with the Jazz. Not only that, but he was the NBA’s scoring champ during the 1981 and 1984 seasons. That was during a run of four seasons in a row wherein Dantley averaged over 30 points per game.
7 — Pete Maravich
“Pistol” Pete Maravich was a human highlight reel. To this day his passes continue to impress, but his greatest skill was his scoring. The LSU legend played five seasons with the New Orleans Jazz (plus 17 games with Utah) and was first-team All-NBA in 1976 and 1977. In 77’ Maravich finished third in MVP voting and led the NBA in scoring.
12 — John Stockton
Now, Stockton, he’s a guy whose greatest skill was his passing. That or his ability to swipe the ball. Stockton spent his entire 19-season career with the Jazz. He remains first in NBA history in career assists and career steals, and there is no threat of anybody passing him anytime soon.
14 — Jeff Hornacek
Hornacek is an interesting choice for a retired number. He was a good player over six and a half seasons with the Jazz, he averaged 14.4 points per game. However, his only All-Star appearance was with the Suns. On the other hand, Hornacek did win two 3-point contests with the Jazz. Hornacek made 40.3% of his career 3-point shots but only attempted 1.9 threes per game. Were he playing now, he’d be attempting upwards of 10 threes a game.
32 — Karl Malone
Many of Stockton’s passes became assists thanks to “The Mailman.” Malone made 14 All-NBA teams. He was All-Star Game MVP twice, and also NBA MVP in 1997 and 1999. Those MVP wins solidify his status as the standout among the greatest in Jazz history. Malone remains third all-time in career points. “Stockton and Malone” is an all-time NBA duo.
35 — Darrell Griffith
If you think “The Mailman” is a good nickname, Griffith was known as “Dr. Dunkenstein.” He played his entire 10-year career with the Jazz. At the end of the 1980-81 season, Griffith won Rookie of the Year, one of four seasons in which he averaged over 20 points per game with the Jazz.
53 — Mark Eaton
Eaton and Griffith were only ever teammates as two career-long Jazz players, but it would have been a ton of fun to see Griffith try and dunk on Eaton. Some have been as good as Eaton at blocking shots, but nobody has been better. The 7-foot-4 center won Defensive Player of the Year twice and led the NBA in blocks four times. With an average of 3.5 blocks per game over his career, he holds the NBA record for most blocks.
