Jazz fans were very happy to see a familiar face at Vivint Arena.
Bucks forward Joe Ingles faced his old team for the first time as an opponent on Saturday. The Jazz honoured the 35-year-old, who spent the first seven-plus seasons of his NBA career in Utah, with a tribute video during the first quarter of the game.
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The video featured memorable moments from Ingles' time as a player and member of the community. The crowd then gave him a standing ovation.
The Jazz welcome Joe Ingles back pic.twitter.com/j3xHh46x1G
— David James (@DavidDJJames) March 25, 2023
The Jazz sent Ingles to the Trail Blazers before the 2022 trade deadline while he was still recovering from surgery to repair his torn ACL. He admitted that the deal was initially difficult to accept because he wanted to play in Utah for his entire career.
As time passed, though, Ingles found an appreciation for his time with the organization.
"It's obviously a place that's always going to be special to our family and to me. ... This city, they deserve a good team, so I'm happy they're playing well," Ingles said (via The Salt Lake Tribune's Eric Walden).
A warm welcome back to @vivintarena for Joe 🖤#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/lwTzbrBGVt
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 25, 2023
While the Jazz have enjoyed a strong season under first-year head coach Will Hardy, they were no match for the Bucks. Milwaukee outscored Utah 40-25 in the first quarter on its way to a drama-free 144-116 win.
Ingles finished with six points, six assists and one rebound in 22 minutes.
