Back to the Utah Jazz Newsfeed

Does tanking actually work? The history of the NBA’s affinity for self-sabotage

Supporting the Utah Jazz has never been easy, but especially so for the last 3 seasons. In the Summer of ‘22, this team’s fate was irreparably redirected thanks to dealing away an All-Star tandem in favor of a more radical policy: tanking.

Tanking - noun

/tu0101NGk - u0113ng/

Intentionally losing for the benefit of a more favorable drafting position. A method of athletic self-sabotage where teams are rewarded for poor performance.

Tanking is a touchy subject in basketball circles and—unsurprisingly—our word of the day. Across the NBA, the strategy is rarely employed as most teams would rather follow a more traditional path toward championship contention.