Sitting on a stage on the practice court of Zions Bank Basketball Campus, Utah Jazz governor Ryan Smith told fans, his players and the media Saturday that the best is yet to come for the franchise, and Keyonte George’s new contract extension is part of that.
George signed a five-year extension with the Jazz on Friday, which ESPN’s Shams Charania reported is worth $157.5 million. The deal breaks down to $31.5 million annually. George is now committed to the Jazz through the 2031-32 season,
“I feel like we’re just getting started on building something super exciting, so this is just another phase in that journey and the best is ahead of us,” Smith said.
George is coming off a breakout season in 2025-26, as he set career highs in points (23.6), assists (6.1), rebounds (3.7), and field goal percentage (45.6) in his third campaign in the NBA. Head coach Will Hardy said this is still just the beginning for George.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the player that Key is becoming, and I couldn’t be more proud of the young man that he’s becoming,” Hardy said. “I say the word ‘becoming’ intentionally, because he’s nowhere near his potential as a person or a player.”
Hardy called George’s extension a “moment of pride for our staff,” and he said it was an honor to be George’s coach.
The 16th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, George is one of the “wins” throughout the team’s rebuild, according to his team owner, who noted the “major shift” within the Jazz that is coming.
“Our best years in Utah are ahead of us, and I think it’s pretty clear,” Smith said. “Everywhere I go outside this state, people talk about it, they feel the vibe, they know it’s coming and we’ve got a lot going on.”
Smith used George going “all in on” the Jazz despite “hard criticism” as an example of the “magic that can be created.”
“We hope that it doesn’t stop, because to get to where we want to go, which is ultimately holding a trophy and having a parade, it’s going to take a lot of people to do that,” Smith said.
“I like where we’re going. This is a step in the journey, and we’re going to see more and more of this and build that continuity.”
‘Utah is my second family’
For George, his extension “still doesn’t feel real.”
He thanked the front office for getting the deal done and his teammates for their support. The point guard knew he wanted to stay with the Jazz long term.
“Special shoutout to the city. Obviously, I got drafted here. All I know is Utah,” he said.
The 22-year-old added that he may have grown up in Dallas, but “another part of my life I’m about to grow up in Utah.”
George “had no pushback with anybody” during the extension process, he said.
“This is my second family,” he said. “I mean, I feel like Utah’s my second family, so signing here, staying here, in my mind, was a no-brainer.”
George’s embracement of Utah hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Jazz either.
“When I think about the last three years with Key, it goes along with the principle that we have at (Smith Entertainment Group) of just being all in,” Smith said.
“Key has been absolutely all in on our community. We’ve all seen that. He’s been all in on his teammates, showing up for them, and most importantly, all in on the organization, the coaching staff and especially the relationship with Will.”
As a result of George being “all in on his teammates” as Smith put it, his teammates were there Saturday, sitting in the second row to support him. They were also the first people he celebrated with on Friday.
“It meant a lot,” George said of that celebration. “We all dream for this moment. I was more excited that I was in the gym with all of them. Just being able to, like I said, share that moment with them, because without them I don’t get to this point.”
If it’s up to George, he’ll be wearing a Jazz jersey long past 2032 when his contract expires.
“I want to be around,” he said. “If it was up to me, I want to be around forever.”