Wining Spirit Magazine November - December 2104 November - December 2104 | Page 9

A VERY SPECIAL
ROOKIE JOINS
THE UTAH JAZZ
WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTION: JP GIBSON
The Utah Jazz season is now well underway, with
a new head coach, new schemes and new players.
But in October, all the buzz surrounded a sub-sixfoot,
undrafted prospect who has never played a
minute of high school or college basketball—in fact,
he hasn’t finished kindergarten yet.
On October 6, 2014, the Utah Jazz signed a fiveyear-old,
free-agent guard to a one-day contract
for a special pre-season scrimmage. Per team
policy, financial terms were not released, but it
was sure to include plenty of smiles, high fives and
cheers from players and fans.
JP Gibson, who was diagnosed with acute
lymphoblastic leukemia in 2012, signed his contract
at a press conference with Jazz President Randy
Rigby before joining the team in uniform for
the annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage at
EnergySolutions Arena. JP was joined by his parents, Josh and
Megan, and his two-year-old sister Elsie. The family resides in
Layton, Utah.
“JP loves most sports, but basketball is definitely his favorite,” said
his mother, Megan. “When he was just over a year old, he would
sit with my husband Josh watching games. He started insisting on
shooting hoops for an hour
each night before bedtime
when he was just 15 months
old. He knows he has to be
six years old before he can
play Junior Jazz, and he
reminds us all the time that
he can’t wait until he’s six.”
The Gibson family was
hosted by the Utah Jazz
and the “Anything Can
Be” project, part of the
Millie’s Princess Foundation,
dedicated to providing
financial support and
hope to families affected
by childhood cancer.
Photographer Jon Diaz,
who is chronicling Gibson’s
Jazz experience, asks children with cancer what their dream is
and then captures those dreams in a photo storybook.
JP’s Jazz experience began with a press conference where
Randy Rigby presented JP with his team jersey (No. 1), starting
a veritable social media frenzy. “We are a young team and we
decided that we’d go even a little younger,” Rigby said at the
press conference. “JP Gibson is the newest member of the Utah
Jazz team for the day.” JP signed his name to the contract in
purple crayon. By game time, JP’s story was being picked up by
local and national media.
Like any other new player, JP took part in the rookie dance-off
alongside Danté Exum and Rodney Hood, and then went through
team drills with his favorite Jazz player, Gordon Hayward. JP also
participated in a pre-game interview with Jazz radio voice, David
Locke. He told Locke that he was a good player and that he
would score seven points in that evening’s scrimmage.
When the newest member of the Jazz stepped onto the court
during player introductions, he drew the first standing ovation
of the evening. The crowd erupted again late in the game when
JP was subbed in for the Blue Team. After receiving a pass, JP
dribbled the length of the court (juking Steve Novak in the
process), then slammed home a Rudy Gobert-aided dunk to cap
off the scrimmage.
JP’s family members said they were blown away by the
experience.
“We had no clue anything like this was going to happen. We just
thought a little quick picture and [we’d] be done. The Jazz have
been great at making this dream come true,” JP’s father told the
Deseret News. “I wish it was for a different reason. We’re happy
that there’s great people out there that care.”
TOP: Spending some quality
bench time with Jazz players
Trey Burke and Derrick Favors.
LEFT: JP with his favorite
player, Gordon Hayward.
RIGHT: Waiting their turn –
JP and Jazz forward Derrick
Favors watch the scrimmage
and wait for their chance to
get called onto the floor.