Top 3 Utah Jazz players who could've won the NBA Championship but didn't
The Utah Jazz have had a rich history of being one of the more successful teams in the NBA. They've had some of the top players in the game of basketball spend time playing for their organization. What's been even more remarkable has been some of the teams that the Jazz organization has been able to put together. Unfortunately for fans of the Utah franchise, that doesn't guarantee anything when it comes to potential NBA championships.
While we may find ourselves rooting for players to one day win a title, the harsh reality is that it often doesn't happen. Players will spend their entire career chasing the goal of a championship ring, before they realize they have run out of time and that dream has never come true. It's the toughest part about the careers of some of these players, but it doesn't change the fact that some of these players shined on the basketball court. While it's always tough to point out the "what-ifs" when it comes to the history of the game, it's also important to shine a light on how close these players were. Let's take a look at some of the best players that were so close to bringing a championship home to the Utah Jazz organization.
#3 Jeff Hornacek
There are a number of directions you could argue when it comes to some of the best players in Utah Jazz franchise history that never won a championship with the team. While Hall of Famer Pete Maravich was a strong contender here, he also spent the majority of his career playing for the New Orleans Jazz before they moved to Salt Lake City. For now, crafty veteran Jeff Hornacek gets the nod.
The crafty veteran spent 14-years in the NBA, playing seven of them with the Utah Jazz. While Hornacek had better years earlier in his career when it came to scoring, you could argue that his best play was during his tenure with the Jazz. Hornacek, who is known for his shooting ability, had some of his best seasons from downtown while wearing a Jazz uniform. During the 1995-96 season, Hornacek finished the year shooting 50.2% from the field while shooting 46.6% from 3. He was a major reason why the Jazz were one of the top teams in the Western Conference for years.