Last Updated on June 10, 2025 by Mathew Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Utah Jazz > Roster & Statistics
Here is the 1978–79 New Orleans Jazz roster and regular season player statistics.
Note: This was the final season the franchise played in New Orleans before relocating to Utah.
1978–79 New Orleans Jazz Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Birth Date | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Pete Maravich | G | 6’5″ | 197 lbs | Jun 22, 1947 | LSU |
| 53 | Rich Kelley | C | 7’0″ | 235 lbs | Mar 23, 1953 | Stanford |
| 34 | Truck Robinson | F | 6’7″ | 225 lbs | Oct 4, 1951 | Tennessee State |
| 10 | Jim McElroy | G | 6’3″ | 190 lbs | Oct 4, 1953 | Central Michigan |
| 25 | Gail Goodrich | G | 6’1″ | 170 lbs | Apr 23, 1943 | UCLA |
| 30 | Paul Griffin | F | 6’9″ | 205 lbs | Feb 2, 1954 | Western Michigan |
| 42 | Aaron James | F | 6’8″ | 210 lbs | Oct 5, 1952 | Grambling State |
| 31 | Spencer Haywood | F | 6’8″ | 225 lbs | Apr 22, 1949 | Detroit Mercy |
| 20 | James Hardy | F | 6’8″ | 215 lbs | Nov 19, 1956 | San Francisco |
| 12 | Ron Lee | G | 6’3″ | 193 lbs | Nov 2, 1952 | Oregon |
| 24 | Joe Meriweather | C | 6’10” | 215 lbs | Oct 26, 1953 | Southern Illinois |
| 22 | Marty Byrnes | F | 6’7″ | 215 lbs | Apr 30, 1956 | Syracuse |
| 35 | Ira Terrell | F | 6’8″ | 210 lbs | Jun 19, 1954 | SMU |
| 11 | Tommie Green | G | 6’2″ | 185 lbs | Dec 8, 1956 | Southern University |
| 44 | Gus Bailey | F | 6’5″ | 185 lbs | Feb 18, 1951 | UTEP |
1978–79 New Orleans Jazz Regular Season Player Statistics
| Player | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truck Robinson | 43 | 41.4 | 24.2 | 13.4 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.5 | .485 | .723 |
| Spencer Haywood | 34 | 39.4 | 24.0 | 9.6 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.6 | .497 | .849 |
| Pete Maravich | 49 | 37.2 | 22.6 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | .421 | .841 |
| Jim McElroy | 79 | 34.2 | 16.9 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 0.6 | .491 | .762 |
| Rich Kelley | 80 | 33.8 | 15.7 | 12.8 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | .506 | .814 |
| Gail Goodrich | 74 | 28.8 | 12.7 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | .449 | .853 |
| Aaron James | 73 | 19.4 | 10.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | .494 | .750 |
| James Hardy | 68 | 21.4 | 6.7 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.9 | .460 | .693 |
| Ron Lee | 17 | 23.4 | 6.7 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 0.1 | .363 | .649 |
| Joe Meriweather | 36 | 17.8 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.1 | .449 | .654 |
| Marty Byrnes | 36 | 14.7 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | .470 | .611 |
| Ira Terrell | 31 | 18.5 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.7 | .438 | .711 |
| Paul Griffin | 77 | 18.2 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | .475 | .619 |
| Tommie Green | 59 | 13.7 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | .388 | .762 |
| Gus Bailey | 2 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .286 | — |
GP = Games Played, MIN = Minutes per Game, PTS = Points, REB = Rebounds, AST = Assists, STL = Steals, BLK = Blocks, FG% = Field Goal %, FT% = Free Throw %.
The Jazz concluded the 1978–79 season with a 26–56 record, finishing 6th in the Central Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference, thereby missing the playoffs.
This season marked the end of the franchise’s tenure in New Orleans, as they relocated to Utah the following year.