Winning Spirit Magazine September-October 2016 | Page 9

JOHNSON RECEIVES NBA'S LIFETIME IMPACT AWARD Former Utah Jazz assistant coach Phil Johnson, one of the most impactful and successful assistant coaches in NBA history, received the inaugural Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award from the National Basketball Coaches Association during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The award honors the tremendous achievements and commitments of Hall of Fame coach Tex Winter, who, over an outstanding NBA coaching career, set a standard of integrity, competitive excellence, loyalty, and tireless promotion of NBA basketball. This year’s award recognized the extraordinary contributions Johnson has made to the sport throughout his NBA career through building a body of work that has had a positive and powerful impact on the NBA coaching profession. A former NBA Coach of the Year, Johnson was widely acknowledged as one of the premier basketball coaches in the sport and was named the league’s top assistant prior to the 2005–06, 2007–08 and 2010–11 seasons as he teamed with legendary Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan. “Coach Phil Johnson represents the absolute best in integrity, loyalty, basketball passion, and coaching excellence,” said Sloan. “The success of the Utah Jazz organization during that time could not have been achieved without the hard work, dedication, and ingenuity of Phil. Phil bailed me out of a lot of tough basketball situations, and he has remained a special friend throughout the years.” In September, Johnson was also inducted into Utah State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame. WS UTAH JAZZ HOST SUMMER LEAGUE AND COMPETE IN LEAGUE PLAY IN LAS VEGAS Off-season? Not so much as the Utah Jazz played nine games in 11 days, hosting its own Summer League in early July and then traveling to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Led by the stellar play of forward Trey Lyles, the Jazz also featured its three newcomers via the NBA Draft with forward/center Joel Bolomboy and guards Tyrone Wallace and Marcus Paige. Jazz players Marcus Paige (top), Joel Bolomboy (right) and Trey Lyles (far right) took to the court for summer league play. The Jazz welcomed Summer League back to Salt Lake City for the second year. The four-team, sixgame Utah Jazz Summer League was presented by America First Credit Union, Siegfried & Jensen and Zero Fatalities in association with the Utah Sports Commission. The Boston Celtics finished the Utah Jazz Summer League with a 3-0 record followed by San Antonio (2-1), Philadelphia (1-2) and Utah (0-3). The three-day total attendance was 20,700 at both Vivint Smart Home Arena and the Jon M. Huntsman Center. WS