New Jazz Owner Ryan Smith said he wants to "add value" to the franchise and believes they are "going to probably have to get a little more aggressive as we think about how to take this to the next level, especially in a league where we’ve got a lot of owners who are well-funded and want to win." Appearing on ESPN's "The Woj Pod" yesterday, Smith said, "The reality is my job’s probably to make one or two or three really difficult decisions a year and just be there to support (head coach Quin Snyder) and support our players.” He noted Jazz fans are “truly behind our players" despite some on social media “who I don’t know if they’re fans or not.” Smith said the experience of African-American players in Utah is “definitely top of mind” and the team has "platforms to do good and systemic racism or unconscious bias around racial issues or social issues is real." Smith: "It wasn’t that people were consciously trying to do something, it’s just that we weren’t active in saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to go use our platform to drive systematic change.’” Smith noted for every Jazz win this season “we’re offering a four-year scholarship to an underrepresented or minority kid who can now go to college.” Smith: “That is a great use of this platform to drive change and we’re going to continue to build out our community."
TOUCHING POINTS: Smith said the previous owners, the Miller family, “have done a great job going through” a $140M renovation “of both the arena and the practice facility.” Smith: “I feel like I’ve just found the best restaurant in Utah and it’s siting in our practice facility.” Meanwhile, the patch on the Jazz’s jerseys is “5 For The Fight,” which raises money for cancer research. Smith noted the “whole community has rallied around it and the players have rallied around it,” and it has been “one of the best and most fulfilling things we’ve been a part of.” Smith: “It’s something that’s going to continue, and we’re pretty excited about it. We saw the good that the platform of the NBA could do because there’s no way we would have raised that much money and got that many companies in the community involved without the platform of the league” (“The Woj Pod,” ESPN.com, 1/6).
