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How you become a Jazz fan?

I grew up in Utah, I live in Vegas now. When I was very small I had many problems at home. Basketball became my outlet from reality. Utah Jazz games were televised on one of the 9 local channels that we received. When the game was on, I was able to block out everything negative that was going on around me. Because there was no internet in those days I remember looking forward to read the sports page in the neighbors news paper that I used to steal. As I grew up I became hooked. We had a team that was feared by every team in the NBA. We had a team that wanted to be the best even though the rest of the NBA thought it was not possible. Since then NBA has always been my release and therapy.
 
Lakers_Slapper said:
I grew up in Utah, I live in Vegas now. When I was very small I had many problems at home. Basketball became my outlet from reality. Utah Jazz games were televised on one of the 9 local channels that we received. When the game was on, I was able to block out everything negative that was going on around me. Because there was no internet in those days I remember looking forward to read the sports page in the neighbors news paper that I used to steal. As I grew up I became hooked. We had a team that was feared by every team in the NBA. We had a team that wanted to be the best even though the rest of the NBA thought it was not possible. Since then NBA has always been my release and therapy.
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For me music plays/played that role. Can get lost for hours listening my collection.

How is Vegas working out for you? I didn't like when I was there, it's one of my least favorites cities in US
 
bezerkus said:
I was a big NBA fan from the mid-70's through the early eighties growing up in Portland, Oregon. Making me a Blazers fan. I was told, though by adults, that I looked like (with my long straight hair) and played like "Pistol Pete". I was only 8 years old but I had to find out who this guy was and then caught him playing horse in a Jazz uniform during half-time of the NBA Game of the week. I was pretty memorized by his trick shots at the time and immediately was trying them in the driveway. I always kept an eye on the Jazz for that reason and that my mom's family was from Utah. Even got Jazz hats for X-mas in Oregon from my Grandpa who had season tickets. When I ended up moving to Utah in 1984 I was a big Dr. Dunkenstein fan with the classic Nike poster, and started watching Jazz games just because of him. I slowly stopped watching the Blazers during the first couple of years as I started getting engulfed by this crazy guy on TV talking about cowhide globes. Plus I loved their attitudes and they didn't act like other NBA players, aside from AD. I swore at Karl Malone's free throws and hoped we didn't drop our leads too far when Ricky Green came out and the small white kid came in to run the point. I watched through those early Jordan years and watched us get beat by them almost everytime, but when we won, it was the talk everywhere for a week. I always liked rooting for the underdog Jazz that the media ignored. Going to those late 80's games in the Salt Palace hooked me. We slooooooooooooowly got better every year, but what was funny was as they grew in popularity I became a little more fair weather in the later 90s (just the opposite of what most do). I really didn't like what the NBA was starting to become. Stockton hooked me back with a game I KNEW they would lose against the Rockets and Barkley. I knew they would lose both Championships but I was engulfed anyway because they were the underdogs and represented the opposite of everything I disliked about what the NBA was becoming and fake flu collapsing games. After Stockton retired (much like Barry Sanders in the NFL) I felt like I had nothing to root for and no reason to watch. Aside from the occasional tickets that were given me I only occasionally caught games and could never really root for too hard for any of the others that came after as I didn't see any special players.
This changed last season when I saw this group of guys. I got the same feeling I had back in the 80s when we had a great team that everyone thought they could beat but couldn't. This time I finally paid extra for Root sports that I wouldn't do before, I'm recording all the games to PC and having a ball watching these guys get better every month. I'm happy with this core, and love every one of these guys attitudes and abilities. Love the core of Rudy, Trey, Exum, Booker, Favors, Hayward and Alec. Could care less if we add anybody else to that core as I think we have what it takes to beat everyone eventually. This is gonna be a fun ride.
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I wish I could have watched that team during the 80s, watching S&M getting better together.

The teams from 2000-2002 were a bit painful to watch. Good but not great. It was hard to watch young teams like Dallas, Jailblazers and the Queens surpassing us. We slowly become non-relevant.

I enjoyed the rebuilding years after Stock retired. We were supposed to be the worst team ever and we almost made the playoffs. We are always underdogs and I love it. We don't receive much media coverage so we are always under the radar.
 
When I was 9 yrs old my family was visiting some friends in Salt Lake and I was given an opportunity to be an honorary ball boy for a game. I got to go out on the floor during the shootarounds and rebound, pass and dribble with the players. Jeff Hornacek and David Benoit were really cool and actually let me take a shot...which I nailed btw.

Been a Jazz fan ever since.
 
I was born and raised in Central Illinois. I grew up as a fan of the Jordan/Pippen era Bulls, but lost interest after the first 3-peat. Moved to Utah after high school, but went back home to visit my friends right before the '97 finals. Was hanging out with my friend's sister (who was a huge Bulls fan) and she knew I lived in Utah. She proceeded to talk trash about the Jazz, and I went right back at her (even though Stockton and Malone were the only two I knew of at that point).

The trash talking ended with her promising me a variety of sexual favors if the Jazz actually won the Championship. Watched and rooted for the Jazz for the first time ever and was heartbroken when they lost, though for reasons totally unrelated to basketball. (Still hooked up with her for a bit, so it ended well enough for me.)

Started to follow the Jazz more and rooted for them in the 98 Finals, but really didn't follow basketball much until I was living in NYC and Linsanity took the city by storm. Basketball was fun to watch again, so I started following the Jazz again after we moved back to Utah and my son started playing the sport (Junior Jazz is a great program and one of the reasons that I'm a HUGE fan of Junkyard Dog). Been utterly, and hopelessly hooked since just before the 2013 draft. I'm a football coach and an NFL draft geek. I love to compare the different philosophies between NFL and NBA team building.

I'm a fan of small market teams (follow the Packers as well) and I really hope that the Jazz can win a championship at some point here in the future. Rudy Gobert is my favorite player (and has been pretty much since the Jazz bought the pick) and I'm slowly bringing my son around to that train of thought as well. Unfortunately, my brothers are Heat, Warriors and Clippers fans (I know!) and the fact that the Jazz have had less success lately has made it hard for me to get him excited about the Jazz. Working hard at it though.
 
infection said:
Well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds. Pretty standard, really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my *********. There really is nothing like a shorn *******. It's breathtaking -- I highly suggest you try it. Since then, my heart has been broken by this franchise more times than I care to count. C'est la vie.
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What, testticals are censored?

By the way -- zip it!
 
I'm from Adelaide Australia and was watching the Sundiata Gaines game winner game. I said to myself whatever team wins I will go for.... Then I got stuck with the Jazz lol. Ps: I was like 14 at the time dont judge.
 
I was born a Jazz fan.(with a short stint as a bulls fan)

Favorite players

Mark Eaton
Michael Jordan
Then My dad took me to see the Bulls play the Jazz. He was going to make me a jazz fan. He talked **** on Jordan all night and talked up Malone. Jazz won in 3OT. At the end of the night Jeff Malone was my favorite player. lol
My dad eventually convinced me that Karl Malone was better. Then I met him at one of his buy some stuff and I'll sign it things. He was ornery.
John Stockton


#12 is still my favorite player always will be
 
I've been a fan since the Jazz moved here from New Orleans. And, yeah, I remember Ron Boone playing for the Utah Stars, along with Zelmo Beaty, Willie Wise, and Red Robbins -- Red always banked it off the glass.
 
I jumped on the bandwagon when Tibor Pleiss and Grant Jerrett were traded to the team - l assumed that's how everyone else became fans.
 
Been a fan since Game 6 of the NBA Finals. 7 years old at the time and I've been a die hard fan since. I grew up on Stockton, Malone and Hornacek. Thing is I've never been to an NBA game, and I grew up in West Virginia, and moved anywhere but Utah, but one day I might. I've drove through Utah once, but never saw SLC.
 
I was born and raised in Utah...But was not a Jazz fan for a while. I loved watching Larry Bird and the Celtics play and he was my favorite player. I followed Utah loosely through those years but never considered myself a fan. When Bird retired I no longer had interest in the Celtics, I only followed them because of him. As it became obvious that Bird was just about done I had already started watching more of the Jazz because of Stockton. I had been told by a few people in Junior Jazz I played like him so started following him closer. At that point I became a Jazz fan. I loved the dirty things Stockton got away with on the floor. I loved that he had this boy scout image yet did things that pissed the other team off.
 
ljnapoli said:
I'm from Adelaide Australia and was watching the Sundiata Gaines game winner game. I said to myself whatever team wins I will go for.... Then I got stuck with the Jazz lol. Ps: I was like 14 at the time dont judge.
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Escape before it's too late! being a jazz fan involves a lot of suffering and perseverance. But some day we will win it all.
 
gregbroncs said:
I was born and raised in Utah...But was not a Jazz fan for a while. I loved watching Larry Bird and the Celtics play and he was my favorite player. I followed Utah loosely through those years but never considered myself a fan. When Bird retired I no longer had interest in the Celtics, I only followed them because of him. As it became obvious that Bird was just about done I had already started watching more of the Jazz because of Stockton. I had been told by a few people in Junior Jazz I played like him so started following him closer. At that point I became a Jazz fan. I loved the dirty things Stockton got away with on the floor. I loved that he had this boy scout image yet did things that pissed the other team off.
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Those nasty screens, fouls, charges, toughness...he never talked trash, his play did all the talking. Thanks for sharing
 
latin jazz said:
Those nasty screens, fouls, charges, toughness...he never talked trash, his play did all the talking. Thanks for sharing
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It's funny but it was the trash talk and attitude that made me love Bird. But the hard core play that made me love Stockton. If you've never read Dominique interview about the first time he faced Larry Bird as a rookie you should. It was hilarious and told a lot about Bird's demeanor on the court. I won't try and quote it been to long since I read it.

Here it is just in case anybody is interested in it.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-o...ns-shares-awesome-larry-bird-trash-talk-story
 
The Fresh Prince said:
Been a fan since Game 6 of the NBA Finals. 7 years old at the time and I've been a die hard fan since. I grew up on Stockton, Malone and Hornacek. Thing is I've never been to an NBA game, and I grew up in West Virginia, and moved anywhere but Utah, but one day I might. I've drove through Utah once, but never saw SLC.
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What's your nearest NBA city? Just buy a ticket for the next Jazz game near your town. Go for it!

I really liked SLC...small, quite, clean. It felt like a great place to raise your family. Friendly people. And the mountain view and landscape are really nice.
 
Noomskull said:
When I was 9 yrs old my family was visiting some friends in Salt Lake and I was given an opportunity to be an honorary ball boy for a game. I got to go out on the floor during the shootarounds and rebound, pass and dribble with the players. Jeff Hornacek and David Benoit were really cool and actually let me take a shot...which I nailed btw.

Been a Jazz fan ever since.
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Hornacek seems like a really cool guy. I would've thrown a brick...you know, like Trey Brick. Cool story, thanks
 
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