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SALT LAKE CITY — Trent Call didn’t even know who Donovan Mitchell was.
Call, a Salt Lake City native, remembers growing up watching John Stockton and Karl Malone pick-and-roll teams to death in the '80s and '90s, but as he got older, his art took most of his focus. That meant when he was selected to create a new Utah Jazz mural, he wasn’t aware of Salt Lake’s new favorite son.
But he learned quickly.
“I looked him up on YouTube, and this guy kills it,” Call said. “The same with Rudy Gobert. These guys are amazing. Obviously, I’m way out of it, but after watching, I can totally see why people would get so hyped on this.”
Now he is helping with that hype.
On the wall next to the Zions Bank near 100 South and Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City, Call's opus to Jazz history stands 32 feet tall and stretches 109 feet wide. It’s a visual journal of the Jazz’s 40 years in Utah.
In the mural, you’ll find references to John Stockton and Karl Malone, to “Hot Rod” Hundley and Jerry Sloan, and of historic plays and moments. It’s a visual treat for Jazz fans — allowing them to reminisce about the past and smile about the present.
The Jazz are celebrating their 40th year in Utah this season and the mural shows just how much they care about the past. The Jazz helped Call identify the key people and moments that should be included — and there was plenty to put in. Of course, it was going to include Stockton, Malone and Sloan, but the organization wanted it to be much more than just an ode to that trio. They wanted each era to be included — from the very beginnings with Pete Maravich to this year’s squad featuring Mitchell and Gobert.
That type of respect to the people who helped shape the franchise is why so many former Jazzmen still feel a strong connection to the team years after they last stepped onto the court.
“It’s good to know that what you have accomplished here — even if you didn’t make it to the Finals or make it to the playoffs, that you were just a part of the Jazz — they appreciate you,” said Darrell Griffith, whose moniker Dr. Dunkenstein appears in stylized letters on the mural (one of Call’s favorite parts, he said).
Call wasn’t chosen for the project because of his knowledge of Jazz history, obviously, but for his artistic ability. Call has done murals all across the country. His work appears in a Mellow Mushroom in Florida, an Industrial Eats in California and in areas across Salt Lake. His combination of formal training and his street art ability create a unique blend that stands out.
And his new mural does just that.
From Hot Rod’s famous line, “You gotta love it, baby,” running through the center in big letters to Gobert and Mark Eaton swatting shots on opposite sides of the mural (they're both pretty good at protecting the paint, after all), it’s a piece worthy of a second glance — and a third and fourth.
“I drew each element on its own and then collaged the drawing together,” Call said. “I had a list of things of interest and then just drew them and then slowly pieced them together on a computer. Almost like a puzzle.”
Once he was done with combining all the pieces, his design was projected onto the wall in segments and he went to work. He said it took about a week to finish.
“The hardest part was probably the timeline,” Call said. “They wanted it done so quickly. I wish I had more time.”
Time is what's needed to fully appreciate all the small details of the finished product. The scoreboard reads 103-100 — the final score of Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals after Stockton’s game-winning 3-pointer. There’s a basketball coming out of a mailbox — a nod to Karl Malone’s famous nickname. There are symbols (&*!$#, etc.) coming from Jerry Sloan’s mouth in honor of the longtime coach’s less-than-soft language.
And plenty more, including a spider crawling on a scoreboard. It seems Call now knows who Donovan Mitchell is.
