Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are a franchise that has never won a championship, and the cruelty of that fact is intensified by how close they came — twice, in 1997 and 1998, when Karl Malone and John Stockton ran into Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and were denied the title that their careers deserved. Founded in 1974 in New Orleans (the name makes no geographical sense in Salt Lake City, but we have all agreed to ignore that), the Jazz have been a Western Conference staple since relocating in 1979. Delta Center, an 18,306-seat arena, remains one of the NBA’s most intimidating venues because Jazz fans are among the most passionately devoted in the league.

Under Will Hardy, the Jazz are currently enduring the misery of a rebuild. The 17-65 record in 2024-25 — worst in the Western Conference — is the kind of season that tests the faith of even the most committed supporters. But this is part of the process: accumulating draft picks, developing young talent, and positioning the franchise for the next competitive window. It is painful. It is necessary. And it is temporary.

Utah’s basketball culture runs deeper than most outsiders realise. The Jazz have historically thrived on drafting and developing players rather than attracting free agents, and the current rebuild follows that same philosophy. The fanbase deserves a championship, and after decades of near-misses, their patience is one of the most remarkable stories in the NBA.

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The Jazz enter 2025-26 still in rebuild mode, and the short-term pain is the price of long-term ambition. The franchise’s history of player development and the passionate Salt Lake City fanbase provide a foundation that most rebuilding teams would envy. For Australian fans, the Jazz are a reminder that sport requires patience — and that the teams who suffer the most often appreciate the success the most when it finally arrives.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com