60 free Utah Jazz trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Utah Jazz trivia quiz covers the whole franchise story: the New Orleans years with Pistol Pete Maravich and a court so high it needed a safety net, the 1979 move that left the name behind by accident, Frank Layden, the booed drafting of John Stockton, Karl Malone, Mark Eaton's block record, Jerry Sloan's 23 seasons, two Finals against Michael Jordan's Bulls, Deron Williams, the Gobert-Mitchell teams and the Lauri Markkanen rebuild. Expect easy questions on the arena, the mascot and the biggest names, plenty of history for regular fans, and hard ones about the Rony Seikaly non-trade, Rod Hundley and the Minneapolis group that nearly bought the team in 1986. Uniforms, from Mardi Gras purple to the Wasatch mountains and Red Rocks, get their own questions. Every answer was checked against primary and encyclopaedic sources before it went in, so when you miss one you can trust the explanation. Play it solo or run it as a round at your next watch party. For the wider league, our NBA trivia page is the natural next stop.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which city did the Jazz franchise begin play as an expansion team in 1974?
New Orleans
The name paid homage to the city as the birthplace of jazz music; it made far less sense after the 1979 move to Utah.
Q 02What is the name of the arena the Jazz have called home since 1991?
Delta Center
They share it with the NHL's Utah Mammoth; the old Salt Palace seated just over 12,000.
Q 03On what date did the Jazz officially relocate to Salt Lake City?
June 8, 1979
The late approval left no time to change the name before the season, so 'Jazz' stayed.
Q 04Which LSU legend did the expansion Jazz acquire from Atlanta for six draft picks?
Pete Maravich
'Pistol Pete' led the NBA in scoring in 1977 with 31.1 points a game.
Q 05Why did the Players Association make the Jazz put a net around the floor at Loyola Field House in 1974?
It was raised so high that a fall could land someone in the stands
Venue problems dogged the team all through its New Orleans years, including a month-long road trip every Mardi Gras.
Q 06Which cavernous stadium did the Jazz play in from 1975 to 1979?
Louisiana Superdome
Onerous lease terms and New Orleans's 11 percent amusement tax, the highest in the nation, made it a money-loser.
Q 07Why did the franchise keep the 'Jazz' name after moving to Utah, a state with no jazz scene?
There was no time to get league approval for a change
The move was only approved in June 1979, weeks before the season.
Q 08Which ABA team had played in Salt Lake City from 1970 to 1976, winning a title in its first season there?
Utah Stars
The Stars folded 16 games into 1975–76 after missing payroll.
Q 09Which GM became head coach in 1981 and led the Jazz to their first winning season and division title in 1984?
Frank Layden
He coached the West in the 1984 All-Star Game and stepped down 17 games into 1988–89.
Q 10What did Jazz fans at the 1984 draft party do when the team picked unknown John Stockton?
Booed the selection
He became the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals.
Q 11How many blocks per game did Mark Eaton average in 1984–85, still an NBA single-season record?
5.6
The 7-foot-4 centre won Defensive Player of the Year that season and again in 1989.
Q 12Which auto dealer bought 50 percent of the Jazz for $8 million in 1985 to keep the team in Utah?
Larry H. Miller
He paid $14 million for the other half in 1986 to block a sale to the future founders of the Timberwolves.
Q 13Which pair bid to buy the Jazz and move them to Minneapolis in 1986, later founding an expansion team?
Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner
Larry Miller stepped in at the last minute; their Timberwolves nearly moved to New Orleans in 1994.
Q 21Which centre refused to report to the Jazz within 48 hours of a 1998 deadline trade, killing the deal?
Rony Seikaly
He was then dealt to New Jersey instead and played only 18 more NBA games before retiring.
Q 22The Jazz's Game 3 loss in the 1998 Finals came by what lopsided score?
96–54
Utah's 54 points were the fewest in NBA Finals history at the time.
Q 23Whom did the Jazz sweep in the 1998 West finals to reach a second straight NBA Finals?
Los Angeles Lakers
They opened with a 112–77 rout of Shaquille O'Neal, Eddie Jones and a young Kobe Bryant.
Q 14From which college did the Jazz draft Karl Malone in 1985?
Louisiana Tech
'The Mailman' won MVP in 1997 and 1999 and left for the Lakers in 2003.
Q 15Which star of the Jazz's early Utah years was traded to Detroit in 1986 for Kelly Tripucka?
Adrian Dantley
He won two scoring titles in Utah and made six All-Star teams with the Jazz.
Q 16Which coach took over 17 games into the 1988–89 season and stayed until 2011?
Jerry Sloan
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009 while still coaching.
Q 17How many assists per game did John Stockton average in 1989–90, a career high that led the NBA?
14.5
Karl Malone averaged 31.0 points that season, also a career best.
Q 18Which shooting guard did the Jazz get from Philadelphia in 1994 for their second-leading scorer?
Jeff Hornacek
He meshed instantly with Stockton and retired after the 1999–2000 season.
Q 19What was the Jazz's franchise-best record in 1996–97, the season of their first Finals trip?
64–18
Karl Malone won his first MVP, averaging 27.4 points and 9.9 rebounds.
Q 20Which team beat the Jazz in both the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals?
Chicago Bulls
The last two games of 1997 were decided in the final seconds, and 1998 ended with Jordan's push-off jumper over Bryon Russell.
Q 24The playoff streak that ended in 2004 had lasted how many consecutive seasons?
20
They missed by one game to Denver in the first season after Stockton retired and Malone left.
Q 25Which point guard did the Jazz take with the third overall pick in 2005?
Deron Williams
He was traded to New Jersey in February 2011, two weeks after Jerry Sloan resigned.
Q 26Which Jazz forward blogged that he wanted out after leading Russia to the EuroBasket 2007 title?
Andrei Kirilenko
No trade was made and 'AK-47' stayed until 2011.
Q 27Which team eliminated the Jazz in three straight postseasons from 2008 to 2010?
Los Angeles Lakers
The 2010 exit was a sweep, after injuries to Kirilenko and Okur.
Q 28Whom did the Jazz receive from New Jersey in the February 2011 trade of their All-Star point guard?
Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and two first-round picks
Kanter and Burks came in that summer's draft with picks partly from the deal.
Q 29With which pick was Rudy Gobert drafted in 2013 before Denver traded his rights to Utah on draft night?
27th
The French centre won three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Jazz.
Q 30From which team's staff did the Jazz hire Quin Snyder as head coach in June 2014?
Atlanta Hawks
He resigned in 2022 and was replaced by Celtics assistant Will Hardy.