John Stockton and the Jazz face the Suns in 1990.
The Utah Jazz have made the playoffs 31 times in their franchise history. They have yet to win a championship. Let’s highlight their top five all-time leaders in playoff games played.
1. John Stockton, 182 Games (1985-2003)
The Jazz selected Stockton with the 16th pick in the 1984 Draft. At one point in his career, he had a streak of nine straight seasons in which he led the league in assists per game. He also made 10 All-Star teams during his career and finished inside the top-10 in MVP voting four times. While Stockton never won a championship, he did reach the NBA Finals two times during his career, with both losses coming to the hands of the Bulls. In 182 career playoff games, Stockton averaged 13.4 points, 10.1 assists and 1.9 steals.
2. Karl Malone, 172 Games (1986-2003)
Malone was selected by the Jazz with the 13th pick in the 1985 Draft. He began his career by playing in at least 80 games in each of his first 13 seasons. He was named NBA MVP two times during his career and made 14 All-Star teams. Like Stockton, Malone was on both Jazz teams that reached the NBA Finals and lost to the Bulls. Across 172 career playoff games with the Jazz, Malone averaged 26.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals.
3. Jeff Hornacek, 100 Games (1994-2000)
Hornacek was traded to the Jazz during the 1993-94 season. He then played the final six seasons of his career with the franchise. He averaged at least 14.2 points in each of his first four seasons as a member of the Jazz. Hornacek was also a member of both Jazz teams that lost the Bulls in the NBA Finals. Across 100 career playoff games with the Jazz, Hornacek averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 three-pointers.
4. Bryon Russell, 96 Games
The Jazz selected Russell in the second round of the 1993 Draft. After mostly playing a limited role during the first three seasons of his career, Russell started all 81 games that he played in during the 1996-97 campaign. During that season, he averaged 10.8 points and 1.6 steals. Within the Jazz’s playoff run that season, he averaged 12.3 points over 38 minutes. Across his 96 career playoff games with the Jazz, Russell averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
5. Greg Ostertag, 87 Games
The Jazz selected Ostertag with the 28th pick in the 1995 Draft. He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Jazz before playing one season with the Kings. He then returned to the Jazz for one final season. Ostertag mostly filled a reserve role, starting just 318 of 700 regular season games with the Jazz. Ostertag made two trips to the NBA Finals, including starting all 20 playoff games for the Jazz in the 1996-97 season. Across 87 career playoff games with the franchise, Ostertag averaged 4.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
