5 reasons a Jordan Clarkson statue might stand here some day
The Utah Jazz guard made an impact here in more ways than one. Was he more important to the franchise than Donovan Mitchell?
Like nobody before him, the man they called Flame left the building on 300 West between John Stockton and Karl Malone Drive on Monday, June 30.
» Jordan Clarkson played the game of basketball in a Utah Jazz uniform like his hair was on fire.
His passion as a player was unmatched by arguably anyone that has ever put on a Jazz uniform.
And, in a special way, Clarkson served as a diplomat for the franchise from 2019 to June 2025 in ways that numbers could never fully or reasonably explain.
Like several notable Jazz players before him, Clarkson came over to Utah in a trade from Cleveland and yet meant as much or even more, perhaps, than Mehmet Okur, Carlos Boozer or Lauri Markkanen.
Here are 5 reasons Jordan Clarkson might be on a bronze statue in front of the Delta Center some day.
First to win NBA Sixth Man Award after being traded to Utah
Few talk about this, but it is very true. Clarkson made history here in more ways than one, and this was a big one.
What he told other players around the NBA was this: you could struggle your first few years in the league and still become someone that could be relied upon, in a sixth-man’s role, and thrive in it on the Jazz.
That was big for Utah that as a place often gets a bad rap around the league from not only fans but media for being this bass-ackwards place known only for Mormons, polygamy and soaking—even if Colorado and Arizona have plenty of all three, thanks.
First triple-double in the modern Jazz era
January 1, 2024 wasn’t just the first day of the new year. For Jordan Clarkson who was on a Jazz team that was in full rebuild mode, the Luka-led Dallas Mavericks were in town.
The crazy part? Utah rolled to a 34-11 first quarter lead in that game at the Delta Center. Even crazier? Clarkson was not the team’s leading scorer in the Jazz 127-90 blowout win.
Flame was Utah’s second leading scorer in the game with 20 points. But, Clarkson added 10 rebounds and 11 assists to become the first player since Ricky Rubio in 2018 to record a triple-double—a feat that Donovan Mitchell never achieved while playing here.
First NBA player presented by a teammate who was also a finalist for the Sixth Man Award
Joe ingles showed how selfless he was when he presented Jordan with what could’ve rightfully been his Sixth Man Award.
The Aussie could have declined to do such a thing, but that wasn’t the type of person Jingling Joe was, and neither was the Flame as you’ll later read in this article.
First in modern Jazz era to have a meme go viral
That Clarkson look in the left side of the video below epitomized this era of Jazz basketball to a T.
I’m sorry but for as much as adidas wanted Donovan Mitchell front and center, it was the Flame who made certain it isn’t so, because he stamped the 2020s as Jordan Clarkson Time with a no-look dish like the one in this vid:
It made certain that the moment most Jazz fans will remember is the one where he went for 38 points and made that gritted teeth face that ended up on millions of memes around the world, which in this day and age is the seal of approval—no matter where you live or play.
First Jazz player to address the racism here
Karl Malone didn’t. Neither did John Stockton—all the way down a long list of Jazz players.
But Jordan Clarkson most assuredly did, serving as a voice of reason during an uncertain time in the world. He not only acted like a diplomat as opposed to a dumbass—he got the state of Utah and ALL of national media involved at a time when times desperately called for it.
The son of a black Air Force master sergeant and Filipino mother, Clarkson had every right to be hopping mad about the racist graffiti sprayed on a Filipino food truck in Davis County. Instead, he called for peace and paid for repairs and a new paint job on the truck. «
Overthink This Photo 📸
Few took Utah and this continent on a witch-hunt than North American media perpetuating the stereotype that Ace Bailey of Rutgers didn’t want to play for the Jazz.
Yeah, Bailey didn’t want to play so much for Utah that he is here in Salt Lake City getting ready for the city’s upcoming summer league at the Huntsman Center after having been selected with the 5th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Jazz. «
» Book Em Brian!
Today’s book: OPEN NET by George Plimpton (foreword by Denis Leary)
» When George Plimpton wrote, readers tended to listen. Paper Lion, his sojourn as an NFL quarterback, was made into a movie that was a box-office smash.
Few are probably aware that Plimpton also wrote a book about precariously entering the world of professional ice hockey, despite the fact he could barely skate.
That did not stop the author from donning a pair of ice skates and playing five minutes in an exhibition for his beloved hometown Boston Bruins, as a goaltender.
Altogether hilarious and sad in parts, the whole of Open Net is that it offers a glimpse into the blazing fast and dangerous world of ice hockey, one that gave a man a chance to live out his childhood dream. «
#BullshitOrNot
Joe Ingles has always been a team player to the point that he sacrificed his own health on the off-chance that the Jazz advance past the NBA playoffs second round.
And yet that’s not enough for hater Josh Hart, who has a prob with jingling Joe:
Thanks for reading; be safe and be well. I’ll see ya next time. «