During the Utah Jazz’s regular-season home finale on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns, the team will honor one of the most important players from its most recent run to the Western Conference Finals.
That player would be Carlos Boozer, who will be recognized on the court at Vivint Arena during the third quarter of Friday’s game.
In addition to his on-court recognition, Boozer will help host a Jazz youth camp, meet with select fans, and join the Jazz TV broadcast on Friday.
The Jazz had interest in drafting Boozer when he left Duke in 2002, but he was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 35th pick and spent his first two seasons there.
When he became a free agent in 2004, he and Mehmet Okur (then of the Detroit Pistons) signed with a Jazz team that was a year removed from the Karl Malone-John Stockton era and had a bunch of salary cap space.
Up until Bojan Bogdanovic signed with Utah in 2019, the six-year, $68 million deal given to Boozer at that time was the largest free agent contract the Jazz had ever agreed to with a player.
The 6-foot-9 power forward was excellent in six seasons for the Jazz, averaging 19.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in exactly 34 minutes per game.
He was an NBA All-Star in 2007 and 2008, and helped the Jazz reach the Western Conference Finals in 2007 for the first time since 1998.
They have not been back since.
Boozer played for the Chicago Bulls for four years after leaving the Jazz in 2010, and then played one season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
For his career, he averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.