Utah Jazz surprise high school students with full college scholarships
May 19, 2021, 1:21 PM
Winning 52 games not only helped the Utah Jazz win the Western Conference and earn the first seed in the playoffs.
It gave that many high school students a full-ride scholarship to a four-year university in Utah.
The team awarded the first 30 Utah Jazz Scholarship winners for the combined first 30 preseason and regular season wins of 2020-21. All of the winners require financial aid and are from minority groups. Ninety percent of the first round of winners will be first-generation college students.
The Jazz made the announcements with a twist.
They had players relay the news to the scholarship winners with video calls.
“You’re joking!” says one student after taking a call from Jazz point guard Mike Conley.
“Not at all, man,” Conley responds.
Utah Jazz Scholarship winners will all attend one of six state universities: Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University or Weber State University.
The first 30 winners will enroll in their school of choice this coming fall.
The Jazz have now won 55 preseason and regular season games before their playoff run begins, and the remaining scholarship winners who can enroll in a university for the 2022-23 school year will be announced at a later date.
New Utah owner Ryan Smith spoke with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski for The Woj Pod about his goal to use the NBA’s platform to push for more equity in the Utah community. The scholarships given out for every Jazz win is a part of Smith’s goals.
New Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith on his intentions to leverage the NBA’s platform. Full audio: https://t.co/RoRtGVfPPA pic.twitter.com/etFS6zVlYw
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 7, 2021
