Some tremendously talented basketball players have suited up for the Utah Jazz during the course of history. The Jazz franchise, which has been around since 1974 and began in New Orleans (hence the Jazz nickname), has over 2,000 wins in organizational history. You don't get that many victories without having superb players leading the way.
For this piece, we'll be taking a look at the five greatest Jazz players of all time. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell could be candidates for this list in the future if they stick around, but they don't qualify just yet.
5. Deron Williams
During his prime, Deron Williams was one of the top point guards in the NBA. He appeared in 439 games with the Jazz and averaged 17.3 points and 9.1 assists.
Williams is fourth in franchise history in assists, ninth in points and second in assists per game. The former All-Star would be higher on this list if he didn't get traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2011 following his falling out with head coach Jerry Sloan.
4. Darrell Griffith
The Jazz drafted Darrell Griffith with the second overall pick in the 1980 draft. The shooting guard won Rookie of the Year in 1981 by averaging 20.6 points, 3.6 boards and 2.4 assists.
Griffith spent his entire NBA career with the Jazz. He finished with averages of 16.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Dr. Dunkenstein is third in franchise history in field goals, fourth in points and fourth in games played.
3. Adrian Dantley
A Hall of Famer, Adrian Dantley put up 29.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 461 games with the Jazz. He made six All-Star teams and won two scoring titles in Salt Lake City.
Dantley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. He's the Jazz's all-time leader in points per game and player efficiency rating. Dantley is also third in points.
2. John Stockton
One of the best points guards in NBA history, John Stockon played his entire Hall of Fame career with the Jazz. He averaged 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 2.2 steals in 1,504 games.
Stockton reached the Hall of Fame in 2009. He's first in Utah franchise history in games played, 3-pointers, assists, steals, assists per game and steals per game.
Stockton is also first in NBA history in assists. He dished out 15,806 during his legendary career, with plenty of those coming to the No. 1 player on this list.
1. Karl Malone
Karl Malone came into the NBA a year after John Stockton, and the two developed into one of the greatest duos of all time. Unfortunately, they were never able to bring home a championship, falling short against Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls twice.
Still, Malone's career should never be overlooked. The second-most prolific scorer in NBA history, the burly power forward averaged 25.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals during his Hall of Fame run with the Jazz. The Mailman made 14 All-Star teams and captured two regular-season MVP awards with Utah.
Malone scored 36,374 points with the Jazz. He's first in franchise history in points, minutes played, field goals, free throws, total rebounds and Win Shares. Malone was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
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