SALT LAKE CITY — Never mind the joy he brings to fans or the countless hours he spends at community events, a new survey claims "Jazz Bear" is among the worst mascots in the NBA.
Over 1,500 fans were surveyed by PlayAZ, a gambling and betting site, and asked to rate all mascots on a scale of 1-5. The methodology is sketchy, to say the least, as fans did not need to have any knowledge on the mascots they were voting on.
In the final results, "Jazz Bear" finished 22nd out of 27 official NBA mascots with a 2.57 rating.
Denver's "Rocky the Mountain Lion" took top honors in the survey, followed by Chicago's "Benny the Bull" and "Grizz" from Memphis.
A five-time mascot of the year, "Jazz Bear" has been delighting hoops fans in Utah since 1994 and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008. But beyond his on-court antics, "Jazz Bear" has helped raise over $1 million for charity in his lifetime.
On top of all the accolades, the Jazz say their mascot has blasted over 55,000 cans of Silly String. That right there requires a higher ranking.
WORST NBA MASCOTS (PlayAZ)
- 22. JAZZ BEAR
- 23. Slamson the Lion (Sacramento)
- 24. Lucky the Leprechaun (Boston)
- 25. Go the Gorilla (Phoenix)
- 26. The Coyote (San Antonio)
- 27. Mavs Man (Dallas)
