Utah Jazz returns to its roots, welcomes back Delta Center name

SALT LAKE CITY — The Delta Center is coming back, and to many, it’s coming back better than ever this summer. 

The Utah Jazz announced on Jan. 14 that their home court, Vivint Arena, will be going back to its roots with their original name from 1991 via Twitter with a promo video.

The video, captioned “Welcome home to the Delta Center,” showed past and present clips of Jazz players and the arena. It ends with both the Delta and Jazz logo together. 

Within minutes, fans flooded the comments section with positive reactions, many saying they never stopped calling it the Delta Center. 

One Twitter user with the username @alanchr5412 even wrote, “Can’t help but think that Larry is smiling from above! This will feel like Home again!” referring to Larry H. Miller, who owned the Jazz franchise from 1985 until his death in 2009, and who built the Delta Center arena over 30 years ago. 

The name was changed from Delta Center to Energy Solutions Arena in 2006 and since then, has been changed twice to Vivint SmartHome Arena and then to Vivint Arena in 2020.

However, in a press conference on Jan. 14, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said he’s been wanting the Delta name back on the arena for a while now and has “respectfully” been discussing it with current Jazz owner Ryan Smith for the past few years. 

In the conference, Bastian explained the only reason Delta lost the name in the first place was because of after effects from 9/11 — Delta and every other airline took a huge hit. 

“We had to make some tough decisions to save costs fast,” he said. “I was the one in the chair and made the decision to take the name off the arena. 16 years later, it still gnaws at me.”

And now 16 years later, older generations are reminiscing on their memories in the Delta Center. 

“I remember having season tickets the first year the Delta Center was built back in the day,” my dad, Gregory Caldwell, said. “I watched more games there than I ever did when it had any of the other names combined. Delta just creates nostalgia not just because of the name, but because you know it represents the Jazz.”

Even Utah State University students have memories of the original Delta Center and are eager to be part of its homecoming.

Ryan Sorensen, a USU junior and lifelong casual Jazz fan, said he remembered games in the Delta Center.

“I was very excited to see the arena renamed,” Sorensen said. “I remember when I was young, watching John Stockton and Karl Malone running the show under Jerry Sloan from the Delta Center.”

Student and avid sports fan Verl Johansen said even without any memories of the arena itself, he recalls always knowing it by its first given name. 

“I remember growing up hearing my dad and broadcasters continue to call it the Delta Center, even after the name changed,” Johansen said.

And Johansen isn’t alone. There have been so many Utahns who never stopped saying the familiar name that Bastian addressed it in the press conference and admitted it upset him because he felt guilty.

But now, both Bastian and Smith say this has been a moment worth waiting for, and they feel it’s the right move. 

“Delta didn’t need this for marketing,” Smith said in the conference. “They did it because they want to do the right thing and have this moment that, like Ed said, needed to be done.”

Vivint has been a sponsor of the Jazz since 2015 and according to a tweet from the Utah Jazz on Jan. 14, they will remain a sponsor of the Jazz for another eight years. 

The change will take effect in July as the Jazz celebrate their 50th season in the NBA, and fans can’t seem to think of any better way to commemorate it. 

“They say homecomings are sweet, but 16 years later – this is really special,” Bastian said in the press conference. “It’s a real honor to be back, and we aren’t ever leaving.”

-Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu

Featured photo by Jacee Caldwell