Humphries played one season with the Gophers, averaging 21.7 points and 10.1 rebounds before being selected 14th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He spent 13 seasons with the Jazz, Mavericks, Raptors, Nets, Celtics, Wizards, Suns, and Hawks. Humphries was named an All-Star in 2012. His son Mitchell now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After leaving school early to enter the draft, Humphries decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility and turn pro right away. He was selected by the Jazz, who at the time were still located in New York City. Humphries immediately made an impact for them off the bench, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds in his debut win over the Knicks. He went on to average 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game that year as the Jazz finished with the worst record in the league (4-38). After appearing in all 82 games that season, Humphries was voted by his teammates to be a part of their championship team during its annual awards banquet.
He started every game for the Jazz the following season, finishing second on the team in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game. However, midway through the season, starting center Al Jefferson was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, opening up a spot for Humphries to claim.
In the 1983 NBA draft, he was chosen seventh by the Utah Jazz. According to Jazz management, he was chosen for the quality of his character as well as the level of his game. This was the start of his 16-year career as a professional basketball player. Twelve of those years were spent with the NBA. The last four years of his career were in Europe.
Thurl Bailey played at the small forward position. He was born on January 4th, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The height of Bailey is 6'4" (1.93 m) and his weight is 210 pounds (95 kg). His team was the Utah Jazz.
Bailey attended high school in Puerto Rico. There he played for three years of college ball before turning pro.
During his rookie season, he averaged 7.3 points per game. In 1984-85, his second year, he increased this figure to 15.7. The next season, he ended up with 25.5 points per game. In 1989-90, his final season, he scored 26.8 points per game.
He was selected for all eight of his seasons with the Jazz. In 388 games, he scored 2,928 points. With these numbers, he finishes his career fifth all time among players from Puerto Rico and 34th all time among American men's basketball players.
The Top 8 Players in Utah Jazz History
Debra and William Humphries raised Humphries in Minnesota. His father was a University of Minnesota football player. Kris Humphries played halfback for the Gophers from 1995 to 1998 and was selected by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft.
After graduating from high school in Minneapolis, Humphries attended Duke University, where he played halfback for the Blue Devils from 1999 to 2001. During his time at Duke, he became only the second player in NCAA history to score 100 touchdowns (98). He finished his college career with 2,071 yards rushing and 20 scores.
Following his graduation from Duke, Humphries entered the 2001 NFL Draft, where he was selected sixth overall by the Atlanta Falcons. He began his pro career with the Falcons but was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles before the start of the 2002 season. In 2003, Humphries joined the Minnesota Vikings, with whom he stayed until 2015 when he was traded to the Chicago Bears. After one season with the Bears, he signed with the New York Giants in 2016.
Humphries is married to Deanna Humphries. They have three children: two daughters and a son.
Williams was the third overall choice in the 2005 NBA Draft. The point guard was chosen by the Utah Jazz. In 80 games with the Jazz in his first season, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 assists. He made the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
He enjoyed a breakout season for the Illini during his junior year. In 2005, he helped guide his team to the NCAA championship game. They would eventually lose to North Carolina. Illinois was unbeaten until the final game that season.
During the late 1980s, John Stockton and Karl Malone emerged as the team's franchise players, becoming one of the most famous point guard-power forward duos in NBA history.
| Utah Jazz | |
|---|---|
| Ownership | Ryan Smith |
| Affiliation(s) | Salt Lake City Stars |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference titles | 2 (1997, 1998) |
Hornacek Hornacek left basketball after the 1999–2000 season to spend more time with his family. The Utah Jazz retired Hornacek's No. 14 jersey, which he wore from 1994 to 2000 and helped them reach the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. Prior to joining the Jazz, Hornacek played four seasons at New Mexico State where he was a three-time All-American. The 49th pick in the 1993 NBA draft is the only player in NMSU history to score 2,000 points (2,127) and grab 700 rebounds (742).
After retiring from playing, Hornacek returned to New Mexico State as an assistant coach under Mark Fox. He stayed with the team for one more season before moving on to be an assistant for the Phoenix Suns. Hornacek worked under Jeff Hornacek, who was an assistant when Hornacek played for the Jazz. They are not related to each other.
In April 2014, the Jazz announced that they had hired Hornacek to be their new head coach. He replaced Del Harris, who was fired after 13 seasons with the team. In his first season at the helm, Hornacek led the Jazz to their best record (54-28) since 2003 - 11 games ahead of second place San Antonio. Utah advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 by finishing third in its division behind Denver and Oklahoma City.
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