Jaren Jackson Jr. Embraced by Jazz Crowd in Home Debut

The Utah Jazz's newest trade deadline addition, Jaren Jackson Jr. finally got his first taste of the Delta Center home crowd in the first game in front of his home fans.

After being in the Jazz's lineup for their latest five-game road trip, Utah and Jackson Jr. returned home ahead of All-Star Weekend to face the Sacramento Kings in their second-to-last game before the break.

And during pre-game introductions, Jackson Jr. got himself a warm welcome from the Delta Center crowd.

The Delta Center crowd welcomes Jaren Jackson Jr. for the first time.#TakeNote | @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/bsE929ChgB
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 12, 2026

Jazz Home Crowd Welcomes Jaren Jackson Jr.

The Jazz's home crowd is always known to treat their stars right and embrace them with a good bit of love every time they take the floor, and that was especially true for Jackson Jr. on his first night out with the Jazz while in Salt Lake City.

Jackson Jr. hadn't been able to see his new home crowd since being dealt to Utah last week. He first had to travel to Salt Lake City after the trade for a physical and to check in with his new team, but would then hit the road to Florida to take part in the Jazz's last two games.

So he was able to get his feet wet on the floor with his new team and teammates against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat in his first pair of games on the road while the Jazz were in the midst of a lengthy stint away from home. And in those limited reps, he managed to adjust pretty nicely and quickly on both ends of the floor in the frontcourt.

He scored 22 points in both outings where he played 25 minutes in each, had over ten combined rebounds and five combined steals throughout that stretch where the Jazz went 1-1, showing the beginning signs of being a huge impact playmaker on both ends of the floor for the future.

Feb 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (20) reacts against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It was a major investment made by the Jazz in order to land Jackson Jr. on their roster: Taylor Hendricks, Walt Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, and three first round picks is a lot to give up. But based on the early sample size, Utah has a lot to look forward to come next season.

Jackson Jr. won't have to wait long until he's able to be embraced by his former home crowd in Memphis either, as the Jazz will be traveling to FedEx Forum quickly after the All-Star break on February 20th, where the two-time All-Star is bound to get some more love from the crowd in the place he had called home for eight seasons.

Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!