39. Celebrities At Jazz Games
Sep 11, 2021, 7:35 AM
Jay Z among several celebrities as the Utah Jazz face the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz open their season on October 20, just 39 days from today. With the clock ticking, we look at 50 things for Jazz fans to be excited about leading up to the 2021-22 NBA season. Coming in at number 39, celebrities making cameos at Jazz games.
Celebrities At Jazz Games
It’s clear the Jazz aren’t the Los Angeles Lakers, nor are they the New York Knicks as they’ll never regularly have a Jack Nicholson or a Spike Lee sitting courtside at the majority of their games.
Our countdown of the top 50 reasons to be excited for the 2021-22 @utahjazz season. #TakeNote https://t.co/X45AS6m2de
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 8, 2021
In recent years, however, Vivint Arena hasn’t been foreign to having celebrities drop in for cameo appearances at Jazz games.
Even last season when the stands were only partially filled throughout the majority of the season, the Jazz welcomed a handful of celebrities to their games.
In February, Ant-Man actor Michael Pena made a surprise appearance at a game.
so @realmichaelpena was at the game last night which means we are now @SheaSerrano's second favorite team that's just how it works pic.twitter.com/Fa0ehyVxzI
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) February 11, 2021
Pena is a friend of owner Ryan Smith who has not been shy about welcoming high profile, including famed local PGA tour pro Tony Finau.
Last year during the playoffs rapper T-Pain also made an appearance sitting courtside as the Jazz hosted the Memphis Grizzlies in Salt Lake City.
The star, known for popularizing auto-tune was in town as part of a promotion with Ruffles.
got the DMs figured out just in time#OwnYourRidges pic.twitter.com/GW57gc0oR3
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 24, 2021
The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers has been seen courtside at Jazz games prior to last season.
Perhaps most famously, senator Mitt Romney caused a stir in 2018 when the Jazz hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
The former presidential nominee taunted superstar guard Russell Westbrook who picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter of one of the matchups.
Thunder-Jazz had everything.
Even Mitt Romney taunting Russ 😂 pic.twitter.com/oLXND9ZjjP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 24, 2018
The celebrity found most commonly sitting courtside now is Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade who purchased a minority share of the team in April.
The future Hall of Famer regularly sits with Smith in the owners’ seats directly across from the team bench. During the postseason, actor and model wife Gabrielle Union accompanied her power couple husband to a few games.
Which celebrities will Smith and Wade attract to Jazz games this season with looser restrictions at Vivint Arena? That’s storyline number 39 of 50 in our countdown of things for Jazz fans to watch ahead of opening night.
