SALT LAKE CITY — Linda Luchetti's pink-encased cellphone is always ringing.

And for good reason. As the Utah Jazz's vice president of basketball operations, she is just one of two women in the NBA to hold the title.

Her job — not one of X's and O's like others in her organization — isn't finished when the season ends, either. Luchetti juggles several hats as she maneuvers around the NBA schedule, draft, summer league, developmental league and player workouts.

"I work on the business projects off the court," Luchetti said. "I don't really interact with development of players in terms of their skills and abilities but handle other outside situations."

It's no wonder Luchetti's cellphone is constantly ringing.

From sports and special event marketing to media and public relations, Luchetti has done it all in her professional career. She's been to four Olympics all over the world, which is what first brought the California native to Utah in 2002.

She fell in love with the area and decided to stay, and it didn't take long for the Miller Group to realize her potential and bring her on board.

"They were looking for someone in their communications department and I had that background," Luchetti said. "They were looking for someone that had less of a hard-core sports background and more of a business background."

Climbing the ladder

Ten years later, Luchetti continued to climb the ladder at the Miller Group. At the start of the season, she was promoted to vice president of basketball operations, a rare front-office position for women in the NBA.

"I've been able to come in and just see things maybe from a different perspective and they really respect that," Luchetti said. "They have been extremely respectful to me and supportive to my efforts, so I don't feel at all that I am trying to cope in a man's world."

Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey explains the benefits of Luchetti in the workforce, and it's not all X's and O's or as a consultant for head coach Quinn Snyder.

"Look, we have young players with young spouses that are having babies," Lindsey said. "Linda can go in those rooms during the most crucial time to be helpful and there are just certain areas that I wouldn't be able to go to. No one would feel comfortable with me in the room, and I get that."

On gameday, Luchetti welcomes another title — being a supportive team mom. She roams the Jazz family room making sure all the players' wives, kids and family members are comfortable.

You might find her tracking down a drink concoction that helps settle stomachs since a number of the players' wives are pregnant. She may be leading Jazz forward Trevor Booker's daughter to get ice cream from the media room.

It's not part of her original job description, but it's just something Luchetti wanted to do on her own.

"That is probably one of my favorite parts of the job," she said. "Coincidentally, when I first started here 10 years ago, I went to the GM at the time, (and said) I think there is a family room — every arena and every team has one. So I think the family room needs a bit of an upgrade and more attention. He said, 'go for it' and I said, 'sure.'"

Focus on families

Players notice her efforts pretty quickly. She's a front-office staffer who focuses more on their families and not on how many points, rebounds or assists they can produce on a nightly basis.

"When I first moved here, she was one of the first people to reach out to my wife and helped us get settled," Booker said. "My kids love her, my wife loves her she is just great."

Establishing that close-knit relationship has made Luchetti part of the family for most of the Jazz players.

"I've been to Thanksgiving, birthdays and Christmas," she said. "I'll drive around and go to different places and make sure I remember their birthdays and birthday parties."

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