Utah Jazz Players Surprise Scholarship Recipients

Utah Jazz players surprised scholarship recipients with a video call yesterday afternoon.

Joe Ingles (2), Derrick Favors (15), and Royce O'Neale (23) were among the many Jazz players awarding the Utah Jazz scholarships to their recipients yesterday

Earlier this season, new Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith announced that for each Jazz win, the team would provide a full-ride four year scholarship to students from underrepresented groups from Utah high schools.

Out of the currently fifty-five promised scholarships, thirty of those lucky students received a surprise phone call from Jazz players yesterday giving them the good news. Donovan Mitchell, Derrick Favors, Royce O'Neale, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Georges Niang, Jordan Clarkson, and Rudy Gobert were among the many Jazzmen who participated in the revealing of the scholarships to their recipients. 

What’s better than granting a scholarship for every Utah Jazz win this season?

Getting to tell the recipients that their life is about to change ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7YPWho77TX

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 19, 2021

According to the Utah Jazz website, "Of the first 30 Utah Jazz Scholarship recipients:

- 100 percent demonstrated financial need

- 90 percent will be first-generation college students

- 53 percent are women, and 47 percent are men"

The Utah Jazz Scholarship caught the attention of many people across the United States, one of the most notable mentions of the scholarship awards came during last night's play-in game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.

Former NBA Head Coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said in reference to the scholarships, "It's a homerun that the whole league should adopt." 

The remainder of these scholarships will be given to students enrolling in the 2022-2023 academic year. According to the Jazz website, if you qualify you can apply to be a winner of one of the remaining scholarships. "Applications will open at www.utahjazz.com/scholarships at a later date."

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