Last week, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, head coach Will Hardy, presumed starters Keyonte George and Jaren Jackson Jr. and other Jazz staff took a very long trip to link up with a teammate.
Roughly 5,000 miles from Salt Lake City, in fact. The destination? Finland, where another Jazzman, Lauri Markkanen, was training in preparation to represent his country in FIBA World Cup qualifying games that begin Thursday and go through next Monday.
Over the course of several days, the group trained together (yes, including Smith and Hardy), not only for individual needs but also to help each other build chemistry heading into a 2026-27 season in which there are much higher expectations for Utah than there have been in several years as the team has undergone a rebuilding process.
Here’s a look, as told through the group’s social media posts, at the trip, along with a sampling of Jazz fan reaction to the bonding that was clearly taking place.
Jazz fans were loving seeing the group bond together.
The crew, minus Markkanen, is now back in Salt Lake City, and they’ve resumed working out with the rest of their Jazz teammates.