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SALT LAKE CITY — Jazz forward Gordon Hayward lives a contrasting lifestyle.
Wednesday, Hayward was leading Utah to a victory over the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers, hitting the game-winning shot as time expired for a 102-100 Jazz victory.
Thursday, Hayward, along with teammates like Derrick Favors and Trevor Booker, was assisting other members of the Jazz organization with refurbishment projects at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. The service project was part of the NBA’s “Commitment to Service” initiative to serve military-related causes.
Just 15 hours after authoring one of the NBA’s highlight plays of the season, Hayward was holding a rake and hanging Christmas lights in a hospital courtyard, and said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“To me, it’s not much of an adjustment,” he said. “I’m just a normal guy who made a shot; that’s all it was. (Being involved with these people) puts a smile on their face, and they’re able to interact with us and see we’re just normal guys.”
"This is our organization, and this is our community," Jazz broadcaster Thurl Bailey said.
When looking for a military-related cause to contribute to, the Jazz community relations staff looked for an organization that could best use the resources the team brought to the table.
Jazz President Randy Rigby said the decision to help the VA Hospital was influenced by several factors.
“(The community relations staff) immediately started talking with people at the VA Hospital and Hill Air Force Base, who are great partners of ours, and they immediately started talking about ideas of where (the Jazz organization) could really make an impact,” he said. “(The VA) said they’ve had a hard time getting big groups of people to come help. And when you put military men and women together, and a big group of Jazz personnel, a lot of things can happen real fast.”
Hayward said players on the Jazz roster realize how important military veterans have been in making professional basketball a possibility.
“It’s one of those things where we wouldn’t be on our team if it wasn’t for them,” he said. “I think we realize that, and we’re really thankful for what they’ve done for us. So, we’ve got to be able to give back, too.”
The Utah Jazz organization is known for many things around the NBA, but community engagement is one of the franchise’s proudest accomplishments. Long famous for its hospital and school visits, the organization is invested in giving back to the state of Utah.
As part of that organization-wide commitment, players weren’t the only ones contributing to the labor Thursday. Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey, radio broadcasters David Locke and Ron Boone, and the team’s public relations staffers helped with various projects. Several team wives also participated.
Hayward said it’s inspiring to see the entire organization commit to serving a cause.
“It’s fun to see everybody around the Jazz — not just the players and coaches, but the production crew, TV crew, radio crew — involved, pitching in,” he said.
Rigby said events like helping out at the VA showcase the organization’s commitment to the community, and not just as part of league-wide initiatives.
“We don’t talk the talk, we walk the walk,” he said. “People see that we don’t just say it, we do it. I think continuity and consistency speak to that very thing, and that’s why we do our day of service every single year.
“I hope it’s sending a message to our employees and to the community of what we want to be about, and what we’re encouraging the community to be about.”
Jazz broadcaster Thurl Bailey has spent much of his adult life involved with the Utah Jazz organization, and said the team’s commitment to community engagement goes above and beyond what the league requires.
“This is our organization, and this is our community,” said Bailey, who works as an analyst on the Jazz’s pre- and post-game shows. “Not that it’s a contest, but it’s a way of life for us. We have the greatest volunteers in the country.”
Bailey’s first stint with the team in the 1980s came when the NBA was starting to gain a foothold in the Salt Lake community, and he said the team’s engagement with community events has helped foster one of the NBA’s most passionate fan bases.
“The Jazz organization has always been great at making sure (the team serves the community),” he said. “This is really the community’s team. We’re not in the big city where it’s not the only game in town. But the Jazz is a community team, and the Millers have really started that. It’s a family oriented organization; it’s a family oriented team.”
Bailey, affectionately known to Jazz fans as “Big-T,” also echoed Hayward’s thoughts about NBA players being normal people at heart.
“In this 'what’s in it for me' world, and this 'what’s in it for me' NBA world, it’s always nice for everybody to see what we’re really about,” said Bailey, who appropriately helped hang Christmas lights on exterior trees. “I loved the hospital visits that Jerry (Sloan), Frank (Layden) and Phil (Johnson) used to take us on. We put smiles on a lot of people’s faces, but at the same time, it made us humble and really spoke to us.”
Besides the service to the VA, the Jazz organization will honor veterans Friday during its game against the Dallas Mavericks. Throughout the game, fans will have the opportunity to record personal messages to veterans at locations throughout EnergySolutions Arena.
