National Basketball Association (1974-1979)
Tombstone
Born: March 7, 1974 – NBA Expansion Franchise
Moved: June 8, 1979 (Utah Jazz)
First Game: October 17, 1974 (L 89-74 @ New York Knicks)
Last Game: April 6, 1979 (L 140-131 vs. Milwaukee Bucks)
NBA Championships: None
Arenas
1974-1975: Municipal Auditorium
Opened: 1930
1974-1975: Loyola Fieldhouse
Opened: 1954
Demolished: 1986
1975-1979: Louisiana Superdome (47,284)11978-79 Sporting News National Basketball Association Guide
Opened: 1975
Marketing
Team Colors: Purple, Green & Gold21978-79 Sporting News National Basketball Association Guide
Ownership
Owners: Sam Battistone, Larry Hatfield, et al.
Background
New Orleans became the 18th franchise in the National Basketball Association on March 7th, 1974. A nine-man group paid a $6.15 million expansion fee for the Big Easy club, which planned to play in the new $163 million Louisiana Superdome, slated to open in January 1975. The team, dubbed the ‘Jazz’ in a Name-the-Team contest, split its debut season between 44-year old Municipal Auditorium and the Loyola Fieldhouse at Loyola University.
Maravich & Goodrich Trades
In May 1974, in their first player transaction, the Jazz shipped their 1974 & 1975 1st round college draft picks, 1975 & 1976 2nd round picks and two expansion draft selections to the Atlanta Hawks for former LSU star Pete Maravich.
Maravich became a bonafide NBA superstar in New Orleans. He was named first team All-NBA in 1976 and 1977 and led the league in scoring during the 1976-77 season with 31.1 points per game. In a February 25, 1977 game at the Superdome, Maravich lit up the New York Knicks for 68 points. It was the highest single-game total for a guard in NBA history at the time.
The Jazz never surrounded Maravich with enough talent to move into the echelon of the NBA’s elite teams. In July 1976, the Jazz signed 33-year old free agent guard Gail Goodrich, a 5-time NBA All-Star, away from the Los Angeles Lakers to partner with Maravich in the backcourt. But the deal turned out to be more of a trade than a free agent signing. In a bid to discourage free agency, the NBA subsequently forced the Jazz to trade four draft picks to the Lakers, including 1st rounders in 1977, 1978, & 1979 as compensation for poaching Goodrich.
Goodrich missed most of the 1976-77 season with Achilles tendon injuries. Maravich blew out his knees in 1977 and was never the same player again. The two future Hall-of-Famers never managed to play a full season together in New Orleans. The Jazz finished the 1978-79 season with the worst record in the NBA (26-56) and wound up with the #1 pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Or rather they would have, except the pick was owed to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Goodrich signing. The Lakers selected Magic Johnson with the pick.
Move to Salt Lake City
The Jazz never posted a winning record or made the playoffs during five seasons in New Orleans. Nevertheless, the team drew big crowds to the Superdome. On November 30th, 1977 an NBA record crowd of 35,077 fans packed the Superdome for a contest against Julius Erving and this Philadelphia 76ers. 18 months later the Jazz were gone.
Jazz majority owner Sam Battistone was a California restaurateur with no few significant ties to the New Orleans community. Throughout the 1978-79 season, Battistone and his partners negotiated with Salt Lake City officials to move the franchise to Utah despite having six years left to run of the Jazz’ lease at the Superdome. The Jazz owners cited various deficiencies with New Orleans, including the city’s 11% amusement tax on ticket sales, competition with conventions for prime dates at the Superdome during Mardi Gras, attempts to lure Major League Baseball to the Superdome and the negative effect that the Superdome’s virtually unlimited seating capacity had on season ticket sales. NBA owners approved the Jazz’s move to Utah in June 1979.
Trivia
The name “Jazz” emerged out of eight finalists from a Name-the-Team contest that garnered 6,500 entries in the spring of 1974. The other finalists were Blues, Cajuns, Crescents, Deltas, Dukes, Knights and Pilots.
From 1975 to 1978, the Jazz were the only NBA team to play their home games in their city’s NFL football stadium. During the Jazz’s final season in New Orleans, in 1978-79, the Seattle Supersonics moved into the Kingdome, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
New Orleans Jazz Shop
Contains Affiliate Links
New Orleans Jazz Mitchell & Ness Hardwood Classics Snapback Adjustable Hat from Fanatics.com
Mitchell & Ness Hardwood Classics Youth Raglan Pullover Hoodie from Fanatics.com
New Orleans Jazz Video
The Jazz host the Detroit Pistons at the Superdome. January 22, 1978
In Memoriam
Pete Maravich died of heart failure during a pick-up basketball game on January 5, 1988 at the age of 40. New York Times obituary.
Links
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One Response
Also in 1978, the Detroit Pistons began playing games at the Pontiac Silverdome and would play there until the Palace of Auburn Hills opened in 1988.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/nba/pistons/5-places-the-detroit-pistons-called-home