Utah Jazz won't wait long to face Gobert as 2022-23 schedule released

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz will only be a few days into the upcoming NBA season when they face off against a friend now turned foe.

FULL SCHEDULE: Click here to see the full Utah Jazz 2022-23 schedule

In just the second game of the season, Utah will travel to Minnesota on Oct. 21 for a match-up against the Timberwolves and former Jazz All-Star Rudy Gobert. It will be the first time Gobert takes on the team with whom he won three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Gobert, who was traded to multiple players and draft picks earlier this summer, will make his first return to Utah on Fri., Dec. 9 when Minnesota heads to Vivint Arena. The two teams will meet again on Jan. 16 and Feb. 8.

To announce the reunion games between Gobert and the Jazz, the Timberwolves got creative with a tweet featuring the center and the infamous monolith that drew attention after being found in southeastern Utah in 2020.

With the release of the entire NBA schedule on Wednesday, the Jazz officially learned they will open the season at home on Oct. 19 against Denver.

Another homecoming will take place when longtime Jazz fan-favorite Joe Ingles heads back to the Beehive State with his Milwaukee Bucks teammates on Fri., March 24.

Utah will also host their own New Year's Eve party with a game against the Miami Heat.