The 1996–97 NBA season was the Jazz's 23rd season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

, and 18th season in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...

. 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 new colors seemed to agree with the Jazz as they went on a 15-game winning streak between November and December after a 2–2 start to the season. With a 33–14 record at midseason, the Jazz then posted a 31–4 record after the All-Star break, where they posted another 15-game winning streak between March and April, winning 19 of their final 20 games, and finishing first place in the Western Conference with a franchise best record of 64–18. They made their fourteenth consecutive trip to the playoffs. The team also had the second best home record in the league with a 38–3 record at the

Delta Center Vivint Arena (stylized as vivint arena), formerly known as Delta Center, EnergySolutions Arena and Vivint Smart Home Arena, is an indoor arena located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Ass ...

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) 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 sp ...

averaged 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game as he took home

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

honors, finishing in first place ahead of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

in Most Valuable Player voting, while being named to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition,

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, a ...

averaged 14.4 points, led the league with 10.5 assists, and contributed 2.0 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Both Malone and Stockton were selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game.

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

provided the team with 14.5 points and 1.5 steals per game, while

Bryon Russell Bryon Demetrise Russell (born December 31, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. During a National Basketball Association (NBA) career that spanned from 1993 to 2006, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and ...

showed improvement becoming the team's starting small forward, averaging 10.8 points and 1.4 steals per game, second-year center

Greg Ostertag Gregory Donovan Ostertag (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at the University of Kan ...

averaged 7.3 points and rebounds per game each, and led the team with 2.0 blocks per game, and

Antoine Carr Antoine Labotte Carr (born July 23, 1961) is an American retired basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dawg", he played power forward (and sometimes center) for six different teams in the National Basketball Association across 16 seasons. Early life ...

contributed 7.4 points per game off the bench. In the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

, the Jazz got off to a flying start in the Western Conference First Round sweeping the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in three straight games. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they continued to roll easily knocking the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

four games to one. In the Western Conference Finals, they took a 2–0 series lead over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, who were led by

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets a ...

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Nati ...

and

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...

. However, the Rockets would even the series at two games a piece, as Rockets forward Eddie Johnson hit a dramatic three-pointer at the buzzer to win Game 4, 95–92. After the Jazz took Game 5 at home, 96–91, Game 6 would be another battle and appeared to be heading for overtime, until Stockton nailed a three-point buzzer beater that launched the Jazz to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Rockets on the road, 103–100. In their first trip to the finals, the Jazz lost in six games to Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the defending champion

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. One notable highlight of the season was the Jazz trailing 70–36 at halftime to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

at home on November 27, 1996, but came back from a 34-point deficit, outscoring the Nuggets 71–33 in the second half to win the game, 107–103. The Jazz's new primary logo and uniforms would both remain in use until 2004.

Draft picks

Roster

Roster Notes

* Small forward Jamie Watson was waived on March 5.

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, - style="background:#bfb;" , 1 , , November 1 , , Seattle , , W 99–91 , ,

(27) , ,

(13) , , Stockton & Hornacek (8) , , Delta Center
19,911 , , 1–0 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 2 , , November 2 , , @ L.A. Clippers , , W 95–90 , ,

(21) , ,

(12) , ,

(7) , , Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
13,041 , , 2–0 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 3 , , November 4 , , Houston , , L 72–75 , ,

(16) , ,

(14) , ,

(5) , , Delta Center
19,911 , , 2–1 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 4 , , November 9 , , @ Houston , , L 85–91 , ,

(32) , ,

(11) , ,

(6) , , The Summit
16,285 , , 2–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 5 , , November 13 , , Sacramento , , W 105–74 , ,

(22) , ,

(13) , ,

(10) , , Delta Center
19,283 , , 3–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 6 , , November 15 , , Vancouver , , W 104–96 , ,

(21) , ,

(20) , ,

(18) , , Delta Center
19,046 , , 4–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 7 , , November 16 , , @ Dallas , , W 88–87 , ,

(23) , ,

(13) , ,

(8) , , Reunion Arena
15,947 , , 5–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 8 , , November 20 , , @ L.A. Lakers , , W 113–97 , ,

(37) , ,

(9) , ,

(13) , , Great Western Fourm
16,122 , , 6–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 9 , , November 21 , , Golden State , , W 109–104 (OT) , , , , , , , , Delta Center
18,889 , , 7–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 10 , , November 23 , , Chicago , , W105–100 , , , , , , , , Delta Center
19,911 , , 8–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 11 , , November 25 , , New Jersey , , W 108–92 , , , , , , , , Delta Center
19,132 , , 9–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 12 , , November 27 , , Denver , , W 107–103 , , , , , , , , Delta Center
19,324 , , 10–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 13 , , November 29 , , L.A. Clippers , , W 111–94 , , , , , , , , Delta Center
19,381 , , 11–2 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 14 , , Dec 1 , , at Seattle SuperSonics , , 96-90 W , , , , , , , , KeyArena at Seattle Center/17,072 , , 12-2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 15 , , Dec 2 , , vs Charlotte Hornets , , 107-97 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,410 , , 13-2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 16 , , Dec 4 , , vs Los Angeles Lakers , , 101-75 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 14-2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 17 , , Dec 6 , , vs Minnesota Timberwolves , , 106-95 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 15-2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 18 , , Dec 7 , , at Denver Nuggets , , 104-91 W , , , , , , , , McNichols Sports Arena/12,837 , , 16-2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 19 , , Dec 10 , , vs Indiana Pacers , , 110-86 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 17-2 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 20 , , Dec 12 , , vs Phoenix Suns , , 87-95 L , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 17-3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 21 , , Dec 14 , , vs Orlando Magic , , 101-68 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 18-3 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 22 , , Dec 17 , , at New York Knicks , , 94-99 L , , , , , , , , Madison Square Garden/19,763 , , 18-4 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 23 , , Dec 19 , , at Miami Heat , , 94-87 W OT , , , , , , , , Miami Arena/14,919 , , 19-4 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 24 , , Dec 20 , , at Orlando Magic , , 98-93 W , , , , , , , , Orlando Arena/17,248 , , 20-4 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 25 , , Dec 22 , , at Cleveland Cavaliers , , 94-100 L , , , , , , , , Gund Arena/17,205 , , 20-5 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 26 , , Dec 23 , , at Minnesota Timberwolves , , 98-107 L , , , , , , , , Target Center/14,434 , , 20-6 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 27 , , Dec 26 , , vs Portland Trail Blazers , , 99-94 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 21-6 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 28 , , Dec 28 , , vs Philadelphia 76ers , , 110-84 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center/19,911 , , 22-6 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 29 , , Dec 30 , , at Los Angeles Clippers , , 101-115 L , , , , , , , , Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena , , 22-7 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 30 , , Jan 2 , , at San Antonio Spurs , , 80-83 L , , , , , , , , Alamodome/15,220 , , 22-8 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 31 , , Jan 4 , , vs Miami Heat , , 83-80 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 23-8 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 32 , , Jan 6 , , at Chicago Bulls , , 89-102 L , , , , , , , , United Center , , 23-9 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 33 , , Jan 8 , , at Milwaukee Bucks , , 112-119 L OT , , , , , , , , Bradley Center , , 23-10 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 34 , , Jan 9 , , at Toronto Raptors , , 96-110 L , , , , , , , , SkyDome , , 23-11 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 35 , , Jan 11 , , at Detroit Pistons , , 77-87 L , , , , , , , , The Palace of Auburn Hills , , 23-12 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 36 , , Jan 13 , , at Philadelphia 76ers , , 97-96 W OT , , , , , , , , CoreStates Center , , 24-12 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 37 , , Jan 16 , , vs Phoenix Suns , , 95-91 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 25-12 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 38 , , Jan 17 , , at Vancouver Grizzlies , , 106-68 W , , , , , , , , General Motors Place , , 26-12 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 39 , , Jan 19 , , at Portland Trail Blazers , , 96-102 L , , , , , , , , Rose Garden Arena , , 26-13 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 40 , , Jan 20 , , vs Cleveland Cavaliers , , 94-74 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 27-13 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 41 , , Jan 22 , , at Phoenix Suns , , 111-99 W , , , , , , , , America West Arena , , 28-13 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 42 , , Jan 25 , , at Houston Rockets , , 105-100 W OT , , , , , , , , The Summit , , 29-13 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 43 , , Jan 28 , , vs Denver Nuggets , , 114-99 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 30-13 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 44 , , Jan 30 , , vs Atlanta Hawks , , 102-96 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 31-13 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 45 , , Feb 1 , , at Dallas Mavericks , , 97-100 L , , , , , , , , Reunion Arena , , 31-14 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 46 , , Feb 3 , , vs Washington Bullets , , 111-89 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 32-14 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 47 , , Feb 5 , , at Seattle SuperSonics , , 99-95 W , , , , , , , , KeyArena at Seattle Center , , 33-14 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 48 , , Feb 11 , , at Sacramento Kings , , 120-98 W , , , , , , , , ARCO Arena , , 34-14 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 49 , , Feb 13 , , vs Portland Trail Blazers , , 110-86 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 35-14 , - , - style="background:#bfb;" , 50 , , Feb 15 , , vs Dallas Mavericks , , 99-84 W , , , , , , , , Delta Center , , 36-14 , - , -
1996-97 Schedule

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 24 , L.A. Clippers
W 106–86
,

(27) ,

(10) ,

(17) ,

19,911 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 26 , L.A. Clippers
W 105–99
,

(39) ,

(11) , Stockton, Hornacek (4) ,

19,911 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 28 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 104–92
,

(26) ,

(13) ,

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of ...

11,747 , 3–0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 4 ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

W 93–77
,

(23) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

19,911 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 6 ,

W 103–101
,

(31) ,

(11) , Hornacek, Stockton (7) ,

19,911 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 8 , @

L 84–104
,

(26) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

Great Western Forum Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and ...

17,505 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 10 , @

W 110–95
,

(29) ,

(10) ,

(11) ,

17,505 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 12 ,

W 98–93 (OT)
,

(32) ,

(20) ,

(10) ,

19,911 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 19 ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

W 101–86
,

(21) ,

(13) ,

19,911 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 21 ,

W 104–92
,

(26) ,

(15) ,

(12) ,

19,911 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 23 , @

L 100–118
,

(21) ,

(9) ,

(10) , The Summit
16,285 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 25 , @

L 92–95
, Malone, Stockton (22) ,

(10) ,

(8) , The Summit
16,285 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 27 ,

W 96–91
,

(29) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

19,911 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , May 29 , @

W 103–100
,

(25) ,

(14) ,

(13) , The Summit
16,285 , 4–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , June 1 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

L 82–84
,

(23) ,

(15) ,

(12) ,

United Center United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is name ...

24,544 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , June 4 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

L 85–97
,

(20) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

24,544 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , June 6 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

W 104–93
,

(37) ,

(10) ,

(12) ,

19,911 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , June 8 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

W 78–73
,

(23) ,

(10) ,

(12) ,

19,911 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , June 11 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

L 88–90
,

(19) ,

(15) ,

(6) ,

19,911 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , June 13 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

L 86–90
,

(21) ,

(8) ,

(5) ,

24,544 , 2–4 , -

NBA Finals

In the Finals, the Jazz faced the

losing the first two games on the road. However, the Jazz upon arriving at the

continued their home court advantage by taking Game 3, and Game 4 to even the series. With a chance to take a series lead in Game 5, the Jazz were beaten by a heroic performance by

playing with the flu like ailment 90–88. Back in Chicago for Game 6, the Jazz battled the Bulls tightly before falling by four points as the Bulls won their fifth title in seven years.

Player statistics

NOTE: Please write players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

NBA Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

All-NBA Third Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

, NBA All-Defensive First Team *

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

Records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Utah Jazz Season Utah Jazz seasons Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...