Winning Spirit Magazine September-October 2017 | Page 14

UTAH The Jazz Go International New Locales and New Uniforms U nder the banner of the Utah Jazz, international flags will be flying for eight countries when the Jazz open the 2017–18 season as the most culturally diverse team in the NBA. The 17-man roster entering training camp now features eight players born outside of the United States hailing from Australia (Joe Ingles, Dante Exum), Brazil (Raul Neto), France (Rudy Gobert), Spain (Ricky Rubio), Sweden (Jonas Jerebko), Switzerland (Thabo Sefolosha), and Ukraine (Joel Bolomboy). In addition to the signings of Rubio, Jerebko, and Sefolosha, the off-season roster remake also includes new Jazzmen Eric Griffin, Royce O’Neale, and Ekpe Udoh. The Jazz also welcome two rookies, Tony Bradley and Donovan Mitchell, as NBA draft picks. The returning core consists of Alec Burks, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood, and Joe Johnson. An international flavor will also be incorporated into the preseason as the Jazz play against the Sydney Kings from Australia’s National Basketball League on Oct. 2 in the first game inside the newly renovated Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz will then host Israel’s Maccabi Haifa on Oct. 4. These games Utah Jazz 2017–18 Uniforms. mark the first time the Jazz have ever hosted an international team during the preseason. Last summer, two Jazzmen participated in international goodwill tours. Assistant coach Johnnie Bryant served as a coach in the Basketball Without Borders community outreach program that went to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and The Wingate Institute in Netanya. Also, Jazz newcomer Sefolosha served as captain of Team Africa for a charity game played in Johannesburg, South Africa. This United Nations of basketball players in Salt Lake City will play in updated uniforms for a unified Jazz team. With Nike as the official apparel partner, the Jazz uniforms will include the first-ever patch, sponsored by Qualtrics, with the 5 For The Fight logo representing the campaign for cancer research. The NBA is eliminating its “home” and “road” uniform designations. Beginning with the 2017–18 season, home teams will pick which uniform they will wear and visiting teams will choose a contrasting uniform within their own assortment. Because of this change, Nike and the NBA worked together to create four core uniforms for each team, classified as “editions,” which draw from the rich heritage of the NBA and its franchises. ◆ LHM Dealerships HR Managers Conference Annual Gathering Shares Lessons and Best Practices T he fourth annual LHM Dealerships conference for Human Resources/People & Culture managers took place August 22–24, 2017, at Jordan Commons in Sandy, Utah. Representatives from all of the Group’s dealerships gathered to share and learn best practices, as well as review updates to employment laws and state regulations. The discussions centered around supporting the company’s mission, vision, values, and guiding principles. The training was reinforced by each attendee receiving a framed reminder of the lessons taught in the “Impossible Job” story shared at this year’s Who We Are presentation. ◆ 12 LHM Winning Spirit September/October 2017 Attendees learned the lesson of “The Impossible Job,” a story beloved by Larry and Gail Miller. The Jazz open the 2017–18 season as the most culturally diverse team in the NBA.