Quin Snyder ‘Grateful’ For Seven Years With Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – June 6 marks the seventh anniversary of the Utah Jazz hiring coach Quin Snyder.

Snyder, the fifth coach in Jazz history was a near-instant hit with the franchise, winning 38 games during his inaugural season, including 25 of the team’s final 42 games to hint at the team’s bright future ahead.

On the anniversary of his hiring, Snyder said he was thankful for the chance the team took on him, and the players he’s been able to work with.

“It makes you feel you feel gratitude that you one, got an opportunity,” Snyder said.

#OnThisDay 7 years ago, Quin Snyder became head coach of the Utah Jazz 📋 pic.twitter.com/UVzg80KiED

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 6, 2021

“With the support of Dennis Lindsay and the Millers and now Ryan Smith and the staff and the players, I think anytime you’re able to coach for a number of years in this league you’re really fortunate.”

With Brad Stevens leaving his job as the head coach of the Boston Celtics and Terry Stotts leaving the Portland Trail Blazers organization, Snyder is now the fifth longest-tenured coach in the NBA behind Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Rick Carlise, and Steve Kerr.

“I do remember going through the list and adding them all up and factoring out the top and the bottom and coming to 2.3 years,” Snyder said of examining the average coaching tenure in the NBA. “So when I was halfway through my third year I figured I was doing okay.”

Snyder has done more than okay with the Jazz, The team has qualified for the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, including the first year after losing All-Star Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics. The Jazz have won three playoff series under the coach, and this year, earned the top record in the NBA for the first time in franchise history.

Quin Snyder is opening up about his personal life, and his climb back to the top of the coaching world. #TakeNotehttps://t.co/vniyHPuy7I

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 6, 2021

But while Snyder is having a career-best year for the Jazz, including earning the opportunity to oversee the Western Conference All-Star team, the always humble coach is quick to deflect any of his personal accolades.

“It makes you feel really grateful that you’ve been around people that have really allowed you to have a certain level of success,” Snyder said.

“That’s Joe Ingles and Rudy [Gobert] and Donovan [ itchell] and now [Jordan Clarkson] and [Bojan Bogdanovic] on and [Derrick Favors].  I thought about Joe Johnson the other day when I found out that we could play the Clippers because I remember that team.”

With Johnson, Snyder led the Jazz to his first playoff series win in 2016 before getting eliminated in the second round by the Golden State Warriors. A year later, the Jazz won their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder only to get eliminated by the Houston Rockets in five games.

Now, seven years after Snyder was hired, the Jazz have an opportunity to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time under the coach if they can get past the Clippers once again.

Despite carving out job security in a business that rarely allows it, Snyder said the opportunity to win isn’t something to overlook.

“I think you’re grateful as much as anything,” Snyders said. “It’s the same thing we try to tell our team, you just can’t take any year, any game, anything for granted.”

Snyder and the Jazz will host the Clippers Tuesday night at Vivint Arena to open the Western Conference Semifinals.