6) Raja Bell, G — Virgin Islands
Raja Bell is another player who left Jazz fans with less-than-fuzzy feelings about his time here. It’s hard to say who holds the most blame for what transpired, but here is what we know —
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- Bell famously clashed with Tyrone Corbin during the 2011-12 season. The situation was so bad that he was essentially banished from the team and never heard from again as a player.
- He seemingly continues to hold a grudge over the incident. As recently as two years ago, he called the Jazz organization unprofessional.
All that aside, though, his first stint with the team was great. Even during the failed return several years later, he was one of the Jazz’s better players.
Utah was the place where Bell emerged as one of the Association’s premiere defenders and a lights-out 3-point shooter. His efforts as a Jazzman from 2003-05 are what springboarded him into a nice free agent deal with the Phoenix Suns, with whom he broke out in a major way.
Full disclosure — I own a Raja Bell Jazz jersey; and I’m glad to despite the bad end. He had some elite-level skills and was a big part of some fun teams in Salt Lake City.
Jazz stats: 247 GP (132 starts), 9.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, .428 FG%, .376 3P%
Next: No. 5