The Full History Of Utah Jazz Players In All-Star Game
Feb 7, 2023, 3:47 PM | Updated: 3:49 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Since 1976, the Utah Jazz franchise has had 16 players combine for 50 appearances in the NBA All-Star game.
From Pete Maravich in the 1970s to Lauri Markkanen in 2023, the list of Jazz All-Stars is extensive. Karl Malone has the most All-Star appearances with 14.
In 1989, three Utah Jazz players made the All-Star game for the first time in franchise history. Those three players were John Stockton, Karl Malone, and Mark Eaton. This happened again in 2021 with Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Mike Conley.
Utah Jazz Players In The NBA All-Star Game By Decade
1970s
The Utah Jazz, formerly New Orleans Jazz, began play in the 1974-1975 season as an expansion team. Before relocating to Utah in 1979, the Jazz had two players combine for 4 NBA All-Star selections.
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Pete Maravich made the game three times from 1976 to 1979. In those seasons, Maravich averaged 31.1, 27.0, and 22.6 points per game. He was also named to two All-NBA first teams and scored the most points ever by a Jazzman with 68 in the 1976-1977 season.
Truck Robinson made the All-Star game in the 1977-1978 season. He averaged 22.7 points, 15.7 rebounds and played all 82 games. Robinson later made an All-Star game with the Phoenix Suns in the 1980-1981 season.
1980s
In a decade that saw a massive roster transition, Utah had five players selected to an All-Star game in the 1980s.
Adrian Dantley was named to 6 All-Star teams in seven years from 1980-1986. Dantley averaged at least 27 points per game in 5 of those 6 seasons. He was also named to All-NBA second team twice in those years.
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In the 1980 All-Star game, Dantley led the West in scoring with 23 points on 53%.
Rickey Green was named to one All-Star game in 1984. He averaged 13.2 points and 9.2 assists that season. Green posted the third most assists in that game with 11. Isiah Thomas had 15 and Magic Johnson posted a ridiculous 22 assists.
Karl Malone made two All-Star games in 1988 and 1989. He won his first ASG MVP award in 1989 in Houston. Malone scored 28 points and added 9 rebounds in the 1989 game.
John Stockton and Mark Eaton each made their first appearance in 1989 alongside Malone. Stockton showed off his signature skillset in the game, posting 17 assists and 5 steals. Eaton did the same. He had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks off the bench for the West.
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
1990s
The 1980s had the most Jazz players, but the 1990s had the most Jazz appearances. Karl Malone made every single All-Star game in the 1990s. Stockton only missed one in 1998.
The two Jazz legends combined for 17 appearances in the decade. No game was played in 1999 due to the NBA lockout.
The 1990s also saw the first All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City. Malone and Stockton shared MVP honors in front of the home fans. Malone posted 28 points and 10 rebounds. Stockton had 9 points and 15 assists.
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If Stockton had made the 1998 game, the Jazz duo would have been in 10-straight All-Star games together. Stockton didn’t get the nod after missing extended time with a broken leg to start the year.
2000s
Six different players were named to an All-Star game in the 2000s for Utah, the most of any decade.
John Stockton and Karl Malone played in their last All-Star game together in the 2000 season. Stockton scored 10 points in what would be his last-ever appearance. Malone went on to play in two more All-Star games in 2001 and 2002.
Andrei Kirilenko got an All-Star nod in 2004. He became the first Jazz player not named Stockton or Malone to make the ASG since Mark Eaton, 15 years prior. Kirilenko averaged 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds that season.
Mehmet Okur made the 2007 All-Star game as an injury replacement for Steve Nash. He didn’t miss a shot in his All-Star debut, scoring 4 points on 2/2 shooting. Okur averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds on the way to his only All-Star selection.
Carlos Boozer made two-straight All-Star games in 2007 and 2008 while playing for the Jazz. He didn’t play in the 2007 game due to an injury, but he had an impressive performance in the 2008 game with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Boozer averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds in his two All-Star seasons.
2010s
This decade was a slow one for Utah Jazz All-Stars. Two players made 3 appearances in the 2010s.
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Deron Williams made two-straight All-Star games in 2010 and 2011. In his first-ever appearance, Williams had 14 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals in a narrow 2-point defeat for the West. Williams averaged around 20 points and 10 assists in both of those seasons. He would be traded to the New Jersey Nets shortly after the 2011 All-Star weekend.
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 (@TodayInSportsCo) February 14, 2019
Gordon Hayward made one All-Star game as a member of the Jazz in 2017. He posted 8 points and 4 steals in his ASG debut. Hayward averaged 22 points per game for Utah that season. He would move on to his next team, the Boston Celtics, the following year.
2020s
The current decade has been a busy one for Jazz All-Stars. Four players have made 8 appearances so far.
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert made the All-Star game in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2021, playing on opposite teams, Mitchell posted 15 points and Gobert had 10. Rudy Gobert’s best All-Star performance came in 2020. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds on 91% shooting.
Mike Conley joined Mitchell and Gobert in the All-Star game in 2021. This was the second time in franchise history that three players made the same All-Star game. Conley was an injury replacement for Devin Booker.
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Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.