Road Trippin ‘: Go Behind The Scenes With Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz embarked on Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City and will make stops in Atlanta, Charlotte and Miami over the next six days.
You already know that Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic are the star of Utah Jazz. But when the team packs their bags and hits the road, dozens of people work behind the scenes to set Jazz up for success. Here’s a look at some of the support staff, working quietly and efficiently so Mitchell and the team can focus on running business on the basketball court:
Fill up
Team leader Anthony Zamora and his team prepare a personalized spread for the players – meals, snacks and a special Jell-O hydration before they leave the training center for the airport. Zamora helps order healthy meals on the road and is part of the Salt Lake City team.
âThe guys will even call and ask if I can look at a menu for them,â he said.
GOOD
Equipment manager Adam Klauke is the first person to get off the plane. Klauke unloads the bags and equipment. After the team arrives at the hotel, Klauke’s shift work continues late into the night in the opposing team’s arena.
One of the most important bags in Klauke’s possession: the players’ shoe bag.
âAdam is top notch,â said point guard Mike Conley. âIt’s easy to forget that when you’re caught up in the season, playing, moving and traveling. But a guy who always has the right sweatshirts, the right shoes, the right hoodie, that’s priceless. You don’t even have to ask for things.
STAY SAFE
Steve Smith is the chief security officer for the Utah Jazz.
âMy main job is to make sure the players, coaching staff and the traveling party are safe, so they don’t have to worry about what’s going on with their safety,â said Smith. “They can just focus on their job, the basketball business.”
Smith and his team spend around 100 nights a year on the road, but they’re always within phone range for players no matter where they are.
This Road Tripping series is brought to you by Visible SCM. To win in the field, you have to win. The Utah Jazz relies on the help of many staff members working behind the scenes with speed and efficiency in mind. This reliability allows players to move from city to city without fear of arriving without a pair of shoes or the right jersey. Dozens of people are doing their job so the team can do theirs.