Despite yet another disappointment, Malone was awarded his second MVP.[37]. The Jazz's attendance declined slightly after the team's move from New Orleans to Utah, partly because of a late approval for the move (June 1979) and also poor marketing in the Salt Lake City area. Despite being barely competitive, the Jazz drew well during their first five years. He replaced Tyrone Corbin. The road uniforms were changed to dark green, with the aforementioned Jazz logo on the center chest and gold numbers. Following the end of the 2011 NBA lockout that saw the 2011–12 season shortened to 66 games, the Jazz bid farewell to their two longest-tenured players – Mehmet Okur was traded to the Nets for a future second-round pick, and Andrei Kirilenko, who played in his native Russia during the lockout and whose contract had expired after the 2011 season, decided to stay in Russia for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. The team's perennial financial woes and instability were somewhat stabilized during April 1985, when auto dealer Larry H. Miller bought 50 percent of the team from Battistone for $8 million. Utah had a brief rivalry with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s when the two clubs faced off in the 1997 and 1998 Finals. However, partway through the 2010–11 season, the Jazz began restructuring after Sloan's retirement and Williams' trade to the New Jersey Nets. The "City" uniform was inspired from the red rock formations found in Southern Utah, and it featured a gradient of gold, orange, burgundy and black. In the 1982–83 season, leading scorer Dantley missed 60 of 82 games and newcomer Drew also missed time, playing in only 44 games. [29][30][31] After the trade was off, Orlando pivoted and traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets, where he would play a total of 18 games over the next 1 1/2 seasons before retiring from the NBA. Larry Miller did not want to sell the team, but because of contractual language in his agreement with Battistone, could have been bought out by the new owners if he had refused to sell. Info. The team finished 30–52, still out of the playoffs, but an improvement over recent years. The Jazz also named Dennis Lindsey as general manager and Kevin O'Connor as vice president of basketball operations. [96] This distinction was achieved when the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers both lost more than 60 games in the 2014–15 season.[96][97]. Utah Jazz changing hands from Miller family to Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith. [98] Jazz Bear usually excites the crowd during halftime by coming onto the court on a motorbike. Snyder signed a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth. The Jazz organization subsequently cleared Lindsey of any wrongdoing.[95]. The team started the season slowly, with a record of 16–15 over the first two months, and finished 12–13 to go 44–38 overall. The most significant move[according to whom?] 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. During the 1999–2000 season, the Jazz finished 55–27 and won the Midwest Division but again struggled in the postseason, and lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round. April 16, 2021 / 3:15 PM The following year, 1989–90, the Jazz made some changes. Game 2, a 99–95 Jazz victory, and Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles were decided by an average of 7.5 points. Both Lindsey and Quin Snyder, who was present for the conversation, adamantly denied the allegations. Less than a week after the Boozer loss, the Jazz traded Kosta Koufos and two future first-round picks to Minnesota for Al Jefferson, using the trade exception from the Boozer deal to receive Jefferson's contract without exceeding the salary cap. They went 45–37 and won the Midwest Division, the first winning season and division championship in team history. [71], On May 10, 2019, the Jazz announced the promotion of Dennis Lindsey to executive vice president of basketball operations and Justin Zanik to general manager. Both clubs are geographically situated in the Rocky Mountains, and have been part of the same division since 1979, having moved to the Northwest Division for the 2004–05 season. While Williams was under contract through 2011–12 with a player option worth $17.7 million for 2012–13, Jazz chief executive officer Greg Miller did not believe they would be able to re-sign him. Game 1 was a blowout Utah win, in Phoenix, 129–90, which set the tone for the series, as Utah eliminated the Suns 3–1, earning a second round matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, the defending Western Conference champions. The Jazz finished 54–28, second in the division to San Antonio by a game, similar to their division finish the prior year. The Jazz wore these uniforms until the 2003–04 season. During the off-season, the Jazz gained a hometown NBA Development League affiliate in the Utah Flash (based in Orem), which they shared with the Boston Celtics.