It’s an era that ends on the Utah side. Indeed, ESPN tells us that the franchise will change owners and be sold to Ryan Smith, the founder of the Qualtrics company. The 40-year-old Utah Jazz fan recently sold his business for $ 8 billion and will succeed the Millers family, owners since 1986, at the helm of the Salt Lake City franchise.
In 35 years of ownership, the Millers took their franchise to two NBA Finals, in 1997 and 1998, both lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Since then, the Jazz have had only one participation in the conference final. It was 2007 against the San Antonio Spurs with a 4-1 franchise loss to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
So, after 35 years of loyal service, the Millers struck a deal to sell at $ 1.66 billion. At the time, Larry Miller had bought the franchise for “only” $ 22 million. The official announcement will come once the league has validated the buyout.
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