Let’s get back to the radical ’80s, shall we? A time when Duran Duran ruled the radio waves, Dallas was all the rage on TV and the Jazz drafted one of Jimmy V’s key guys at NC State with the seventh pick in the ’83 NBA Draft.
‘Big T’ Thurl Bailey was low-key one of the better frontcourt players in the league and a crucial piece to the Jazz for a decade. He probably would have started for most of the league’s other teams throughout the ’80s, but ended up playing second fiddle to arguably the greatest power forward of all-time instead.
Still, the man in the goggles was a cornerstone piece to the Jazz as they transitioned from cellar-dwellers to title contenders.
At one point, Bailey registered back-to-back seasons of averaging nearly 20 points per game (19.5 and 19.6 ppg in ’87-88 and ’88-89, respectively). And he did so largely as a bench player. In 708 games in a Jazz uniform, he put up 14 points and nearly six rebounds per game.
Following a move to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the early 90s, Big T eventually returned to finish his career with Utah during the ’98-99 season.
It may be controversial, but I give him the nod over Williams and Hayward in this list for his longevity and continued role with the team. To this day, he’s a pillar of the Salt Lake community and an active part of the Jazz organization as a broadcaster and ambassador.
Next: No. 7