1978–79 New Orleans Jazz season


The 1978–79 New Orleans Jazz season was their fifth season in the NBA and its last in New Orleans. The Jazz averaged 108.3 points per game while allowing an average of 114.6 points per game. The attendance was 364,205.

Draft picks

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
PlayerGPREBASTSTLBLKPTS
Jim McElroy79215453148491337
Rich Kelley8010262851261661253
Pete Maravich79422488120181700
Truck Robinson435777429631039
Gail Goodrich741833579013938
Spencer Haywood34327713053816
Aaron James73248782821727
James Hardy68310655261453
Paul Griffin773911385436303
Tommie Green5968140616232
Joe Meriweather36184311741219
Marty Byrnes369443128189
Ira Terrell31109261522153
Ron Lee175573382114
Gus Bailey222004

Relocation to Utah

By 1979, the Jazz were sinking under the weight of $5 million in losses over five years. Original owner Sam Battistone decided to move to Salt Lake City, even though it was a smaller market than New Orleans at the time. However, Salt Lake City had proven it could support a pro basketball team when it played host to the American Basketball Association's Utah Stars from 1970 to 1976.