Karl Anthony Malone is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and a 14-time member of the All-NBA Team, which include 11 consecutive First Team selection. His 36,928 career points scored rank third all-time in NBA history behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he holds the records for most free throws made and attempted, and most regular season games started, in addition to being tied for the second-most first-team All-NBA selections with Kobe Bryant and behind LeBron James.
Gerald Eugene Sloan was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent as head coach of the Utah Jazz (1988–2011). NBA commissioner David Stern referred to Sloan as "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history". Sloan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Mark Edward Eaton was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he was twice voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) Eaton became one of the best defensive centers in NBA history. He led the league in blocks four times and holds the NBA single-season records for blocks (456) and blocked shots per game average (5.6), as well as career blocked shots per game (3.5). His No. 53 was retired by the Jazz.
The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Boston Celtics, who obtained the Detroit Pistons' first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Utah Jazz were awarded the second pick. The Celtics then traded the first pick to the Golden State Warriors before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. An expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the eleventh pick in each round. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 214 players. This draft has the distinction of being the first NBA Draft to be televised.
Bart Kofoed is a retired American professional basketball player. At 6'4" he played as a swingman.
Dave Kragthorpe is a former American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at South Dakota State University in 1969, Idaho State University from 1980 to 1982, and Oregon State University from 1985 to 1990, compiling a career college football record of 41–69–2.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Spurs' 14th season in the National Basketball Association, and 23rd season as a franchise. This marked the first NBA season for David Robinson, who was selected by the Spurs as the first overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft. In the 1989 NBA draft, the team had the third overall pick, and selected Sean Elliott from the University of Arizona, and acquired All-Star forward Terry Cummings from the Milwaukee Bucks, and acquired All-Star guard Maurice Cheeks and David Wingate from the Philadelphia 76ers during the off-season. The Spurs held a 32–14 record at the All-Star break, finished with a franchise-best 56–26 regular season record, first place in the Midwest Division, and surpassing the 53-win season of 1982–83.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Jazz's 23rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 18th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to the start of the season, the Jazz changed their primary logo that more closely reflects the state of Utah, featuring purple mountains and light blue in the script, plus adding new uniforms.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the Jazz's 18th season in the National Basketball Association, and 13th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was also their first season playing at the Delta Center. The Jazz got off to a 7–6 start as the team traded Thurl Bailey to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Tyrone Corbin near the end of November. In December, during a home game against the Detroit Pistons, Karl Malone committed a flagrant foul on Isiah Thomas, in which Malone hit Thomas's forehead with his elbow, and Thomas had to receive 40 stitches; Malone was suspended for one game. The Jazz held a 31–18 record at the All-Star break, and won their final seven games, finishing first in the Midwest Division with a 55–27 record. They made their ninth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Jazz's 16th season in the National Basketball Association, and 11th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz got off to a fast start early into the season by winning seven of their first eight games. They continued to play solid basketball winning 11 of their 14 games in January, including a nine-game winning streak, and holding a 33–14 record at the All-Star break. The Jazz finished with an impressive 55–27 record, second in the Midwest Division. They made their seventh consecutive trip to the playoffs.
The 1988–89 NBA season was the Jazz's 15th season in the National Basketball Association, and 10th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the off-season, the Jazz acquired Mike Brown from the expansion Charlotte Hornets. This season marked the arrival of assistant coach Jerry Sloan, who became a full-time head coach replacing Frank Layden, who retired from coaching after an 11–6 start to the season. Sloan would go on to coach the Jazz for 23 seasons, including two trips to the Finals in 1997 and 1998, and 19 playoff appearances out of 22 seasons, including 15 consecutive appearances from 1989 to 2003, and 4 more from 2007 to 2010 before he resigned midway through the 2010–11 season. The Jazz held a 28–20 record at the All-Star break, and finished first in the Midwest Division with a 51–31 record.
The 1999–2000 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 30th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Blazers acquired All-Star forward and 6-time champion Scottie Pippen from the Houston Rockets, acquired Steve Smith from the Atlanta Hawks, and signed free agent Detlef Schrempf. The Blazers got off to a fast start winning 13 of their first 15 games, then later on posted an 11-game winning streak in February, and held the league's best record with a 38–11 record at the All-Star break. The Blazers finished with the second best record in the league with a 59–23 record, which tied them for the second-highest win percentage in franchise history. Finishing second in the Pacific Division, they earned the #3 seed in the Western Conference on the basis that the 55–27 Utah Jazz won the Midwest Division title.. The Blazers made the playoffs for the 18th consecutive year.
Grant Alexander Jerrett is an American professional basketball player for Utsunomiya Brex of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona.
Rodney Michael Hood is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Mississippi State and Duke before declaring for the NBA Draft. Hood was drafted in 2014 by the Utah Jazz; and in 2018, he was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019. He was then traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2021. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent for the 2021–2022 season before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers before the 2022 trade deadline.
Joel Bolomboy is a Ukrainian-born Russian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats, where he was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year in 2016. He was born in Ukraine but received Russian citizenship in 2018.
Royce Khalil O'Neale is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Denver Pioneers and the Baylor Bears.
The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It was televised nationally by ESPN. State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the NBA draft for the seventh consecutive year. This draft was the last to use the original weighted lottery system that gave teams near the bottom of the NBA draft better odds at the top three picks of the draft while teams higher up had worse odds in the process; the rule was agreed upon by the NBA on September 28, 2017, but would not be implemented until the 2019 draft. It was also considered the final year where undrafted college underclassmen were forced to begin their professional careers early; on August 8, 2018, the NCAA announced that players who declared for the NBA draft and were not selected would have the opportunity to return to their school for at least another year. With the last year of what was, at the time, the most recent lottery system, the Phoenix Suns won the first overall pick on May 15, 2018, with the Sacramento Kings at the second overall pick and the Atlanta Hawks at third overall pick. The Suns' selection was their first No. 1 overall selection in franchise history. They used the selection on the Bahamian center Deandre Ayton from the nearby University of Arizona.
Cody Likeke Barton is an American professional football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. Barton has also played for the Washington Commanders.
Terrell Joseph-Nathaniel Burgess is an American professional football safety. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. Burgess won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams and has also been a member of the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Buffalo Bills.
Julian Blackmon is an American professional football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah.
