Jazz Players Have Shined In All-Star Games

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz had 40 All-Star Game selections in since moving to Salt Lake in 1979. 11 different Utah Jazzmen have represented the team on the same hardwood as the game’s best.

Here’s a look at how the Jazzmen have done in All-Star Games since 1980:

1980 – Adrian Dantley

In the Jazz’s first season in Utah, the All-Star Games was played at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland and the team sent its first representative in forward Adrian Dantley. A.D. had been acquired by the Jazz from the Lakers over the offseason and showed his worth in his first season with Utah, cracking the starting lineup in the All-Star Game.

Dantley scored a team-high 23 points for the Western Conference squad who lost 144-136 to the Eastern Conference.

San Antonio’s George Gervin, known as “The Iceman,” took home MVP honors after scoring a game-high 34 points.

It would be the first of six All-Star appearances in the seven seasons that Dantley played with Utah.

1981 – Adrian Dantley

At the 1981 edition of the All-Star Game at the Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, Dantley didn’t play nearly as well as he did in his first game.

He started the game and scored just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting. He was the lone player on the Western Conference team without a turnover as the West fell in a 123-120 decision to the East.

Nate “Tiny” Archibald was named the MVP of the game with a stat line of nine points and nine assists.

1982 – Adrian Dantley

Playing in his third-straight All-Star Game, this time in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Dantley again represented the Jazz in the starting lineup for the Western Conference.

He had an efficient night, scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting but again, the West lost to the East, this time by score of 120-118.

A sharpshooter from the Boston Celtics named Larry Bird was named the MVP after scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

1984 – Adrian Dantley, Rickey Green

After not sending a player in 1983, the Jazz sent two players to the All-Star Game for the first time in franchise history in 1984.

Neither Dantley nor Green, playing in his first All-Star Game, wowed the crowd in Denver.

Dantley scored just two points while Green added six points to the West’s losing effort. Green did have an impressive 11 assists in the game, but Magic Johnson of the Lakers outshone the Jazz guard by dishing out an amazing 22 assists.

Legendary Jazz head coach Frank Layden was the coach of the Western Conference squad.

Detroit’s Isiah Thomas was named the game’s MVP.

1985 – Adrian Dantley

For the fifth time in his career, Dantley started the All-Star Game in 1985, which was played in Indianapolis.

For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, the Western Conference prevailed, 140-129.

Dantley contributed 10 points to the winning effort while Houston’s Ralph Sampson won MVP honors.

1986 – Adrian Dantley

For the final time in his career as a Jazzman, Dantley appeared in an All-Star Game in 1986 and came off the bench for the first time.

He scored eight points for the Western Conference, which lost to the Eastern Conference.

Isiah Thomas won his second All-Star Game MVP that year at the game which was played in Dallas.

1988 – Karl Malone

It was a new era in Jazz history and Karl Malone became an icon on the game’s biggest stage by appearing in the first of 14 All-Star Game at the ’88 edition in Chicago.

The Mailman started the game and scored a team-high 22 points.

The spotlight, however, belonged to the hometown hero, Michael Jordan. As the game’s leading vote-getter, he scored 40 points and won MVP honors.

1989 – Mark Eaton, Karl Malone, John Stockton

The 1989 All-Star Game in the Astrodome in Houston was a historic event in Jazz history as the team sent three players to the game for the first, and so far, only time in franchise history.

It was the first All-Star Game for Stockton, who was given a spot in the starting lineup after an injury to Magic Johnson. Playing alongside Malone with the starters, Stockton turned in a double-double with 11 points and 17 assists.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the 1989 NBA All-Star game which was a significant moment in the history of the @utahjazz. It was the first and only time three Jazz players were named All-Stars (K. Malone, J. Stockton, M. Eaton). Here are the highlights #NBAAllStar #nba pic.twitter.com/GLfQlGpnEO

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) February 13, 2019

Eaton went scoreless in his lone All-Star Game appearance but did have five rebounds and two blocks in the game.

The night belonged to Malone though as he earned MVP honors with a game-high tying 28 points for the winning Western Conference.

1990 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

The Jazz sent both Stockton and Malone to the All-Star Game in Miami in 1990.

Malone however, would not have the opportunity to defend his MVP crown as he skipped the game due to injury.

Stockton played sparingly and racked up just two points with six assists.

The East won, but Magic Johnson was named the MVP with a game-high 22 points.

1991 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

The legendary Jazz duo both played together again at the 1991 All-Star Game in Charlotte.

Stockton came off the bench and scored just four points while serving up a pair of assists.

Malone started and tied for the team-high in scoring with 16 points in a relatively low-scoring All-Star Game.

Philadelphia’s Charles Barkley won the game’s MVP honors.

1992 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

At the 1992 All-Star Game in Orlando, a bit of a rarity occurred between the Jazz stars. Stocked managed to outscore Malone with 12 points to just 11 by the Mailman.

The game also featured the lone All-Star Game appearance by future Jazzman Jeff Hornacek, who was playing with Phoenix at the time.

The West blew away the East, 153-113 and Magic Johnson was named MVP.

1993 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

One of the best nights in the history of basketball in Utah took place at the All-Star Game in 1993, which was hosted by Salt Lake City.

Stockton and Malone earned co-MVP honors in front of the hometown crowd.

Stockton dished up 15 assists while Malone scored a team-high 28 points as the West won 135-132.

1994 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

At the 1994 All-Star Game in Minneapolis, Stockton again managed to outscore Malone by putting up a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.

Malone scored just six points in the game.

Chicago’s Scottie Pippen was named MVP of the game.

1995 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

Stockton and Malone both came off the bench at the 1995 All-Star Game in Phoenix.

Stockton scored four points and had six assists while Malone put up 15 points.

The West won 139-112 and Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond was named MVP.

1996 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

At the Alamodome in San Antonio for the 1996 All-Star Game, Stockton and Malone both represented the Jazz once again.

Malone chipped in 11 points for the West while Stockton had four points with three assists.

Michael Jordan of the victorious Eastern Conference squad was named MVP.

1997 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

For the ninth-straight year, the Jazz were represent by their eventually immortalized superstars, Stockton and Malone, at the All-Star Game, which was played in Cleveland.

The two both started the game together for the first time since 1993.

Stockton had 12 points and five assists while Malone added just four points.

Charlotte’s Glen Rice was named MVP after the East won, 132-120.

1998 – Karl Malone

For the first time in a decade, Malone went alone to the All-Star Game after Stockton missed extended time with a broken leg to start the year.

For the second straight year, the Mailman scored just four points in the game.

The East won the game, 135-114, and Michael Jordan was named MVP.

2000 – Karl Malone, John Stockton

For the final time, Stockton and Malone played together in the All-Star Game which was played in Madison Square Garden after the league was forced to cancel the game in 1999 due to a lockout.

Stockton, in his final All-Star Game appearance scored 10 points.

Malone played just three minutes and was scoreless in the game.

The West won, 137-126, and Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal split the MVP honors in the first co-MVP decision since Stockton and Malone split the award in ’93.

2001 – Karl Malone

For the second straight year, Malone was held scoreless in an All-Star Game, which was played in Washington D.C. in 2001.

It would be the final All-Star Game appearance for Malone, who was named to the game the next year, but held out due to injury.

Allen Iverson was the MVP after the Eastern Conference prevailed in hotly contested 111-110 decision.

2004 – Andrei Kirilenko

Kirlenko became the first Jazzman All-Star not named Malone or Stockton since Mark Eaton in 1989 when he made the game in Los Angeles.

AK-47, in his lone All-Star appearance scored just two points in 10 minutes of action in the game.

Then-hometown hero Shaquille O’Neal was named the MVP of the game after the West won, 136-132.

2007 – Mehmet Okur

After a two-year hiatus, the Jazz sent a players to the All-Star Game in 2007, which was played in Las Vegas.

Carlos Boozer was named to the game, but did not play due to injury.

Okur played and scored four points in his only career All-Star appearance.

The West won 153- 132. Kobe Bryant was named the MVP of the festivities.

2008 – Carlos Boozer

After missing the All-Star Game the year before, Boozer made it to the 2008 edition in New Orleans.

The Jazz forward scored 14 off the bench and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds.

The East won, 134-128, and LeBron James was named MVP.

2010 – Deron Williams

At the most highly-attending All-Star Game in history, played at Cowboys Stadium in front of 100,000-plus fans, D-Will made his first career All-Star Game appearance.

Williams, a Texas-native, scored 14 points off the bench on the big stage.

Today in 2010, the #NBAAllStar Game was held in Cowboys Stadium, with a record 108,713 fans in attendance.#TodayInSports #NBA #OTD pic.twitter.com/wyXEDdpdLz

— TodayInSports🗯 (@TodayInSports3) February 14, 2019

Dwyane Wade was named the MVP after the East won, 141-139.

2011 – Deron Williams

Williams made his second-straight All-Star Game in 2011 when the game was played in Los Angeles.

He scored five points with seven assists in the contest.

Kobe Bryant was named the game’s MVP in front of the hometown crowd as the West won, 148-143.

2017 – Gordon Hayward

After a six-year slump without an All-Star, the Jazz finally sent another when Gordon Hayward was sent to play in New Orleans.

He scored eight points with a team-high four steals.

Anthony Davis was named the MVP of the extremely high-scoring game. The West won 192-182.