Utah Jazz

Originally named the New Orleans Jazz, the Utah Jazz basketball team is one of five professional teams to play the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 1974, the team joined the NBA as an expansion team. After the team held the NBA's worst record in the 1979 season, the team moved from New Orleans to Utah and changed their name. They are currently based in Salt Lake City. The team kept the later name despite no mention of music in the Utah Jazz history pages.

The current Utah Jazz logo displays the word "Jazz" in sky blue across purple mountains in a blue circle. Utah's silver letters spread across the circle's top while part of a basketball shows at the bottom. This final logo is a re-colored version from 1996-2004, omitting the copper color.

The players wear the Utah Jazz jersey colors of yellow, purple and white.

The Utah Jazz cheerleaders, also known as the Nu Skin Jazz Dancers, began to cheer for the team in the 1992-93 season. The Utah Jazz cheerleaders are made up of eighteen dancers coming from Utah, Texas, and Idaho. Each dancer holds years of experience. They perform at every home-based game with routines energized with funk and jazz that help fire up the fans as they cheer on the players.

In 1984, they became the first team to ever have four players win individual NBA league titles. The former Utah Jazz players that gained these titles were Darrell Griffith, Mark Eaton, Adrian Dantley, and Rickey Green. Utah Jazz's general manager, Frank Layden, was also named NBA Coach of the Year.

In 1988, Utah Jazz traded Adrian Dantley with a couple other second round draft players to the Detroit Pistons for Kent Benson and Kelly Tripuka. They started the new season with high optimism after the team won the first two games of five in the playoff season against Golden State. Their optimism faded when the Warriors defeated the Utah Jazz basketball team in the next three games.

Each year the Utah Jazz basketball team players vow to bounce back. Die hard enthusiasts often bid against each other for a Utah Jazz team picture or Utah Jazz tickets on e-bay and other auction sites.

Fans can learn all about Utah Jazz and buy Utah Jazz gifts by visiting the teams website and sports good stores. To glimpse the Utah Jazz schedule and purchase Utah Jazz tickets visit the NBA website.