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Jazz Bear

A bear is standing on a chair spraying silly string onto many children and parents watching.
Jazz Bear in 2015 at the Sorenson Multi-Cultural Center in Salt Lake City.

Jazz Bear is the mascot for the Utah Jazz, a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jazz Bear was introduced to the league on November 4, 1994.[1][2] Since Jazz Bear's introduction, he has performed at over 800 Jazz home games by entertaining the audience during breaks in basketball play.[1] Former Utah Governor Gary Herbert declared October 10, 2013 as "Jazz Bear Day" in recognition of his 20th season as the Utah Jazz' mascot, and also his countless hours of community and public service and his standing as an important citizen of Utah.[1][3] In 2006, Jazz Bear was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. Jazz Bear has been named Mascot of the Year 5 times, and has won 8 Mascot Leadership Awards.[4] The Bear has suffered many injuries while performing, including tearing his bicep and rupturing a tendon in his calf.[5]

On October 19, 2018, it was reported that Jon Absey, who had performed as the Jazz Bear for twenty-four years, was fired due to unspecified disputes with management.[6][7]

Shortly before the 2024–25 NHL season, the expansion Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that Jazz Bear would also serve as their temporary mascot for their inaugural season, ahead of their permanent mascot's reveal the following season.[8]

  1. ^ a b c "Larry H. Miller Charities" (PDF). 2017–18 Utah Jazz Media Guide. NBA Media Ventures. October 14, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Genessy, Jody (April 11, 2010). "The Bear facts: The Utah Jazz 16-year mascot, Bear, balances life of court jester, charity king". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015. Bear debuted at the Delta Center on Nov. 4, 1994, rappelling down from a catwalk high above the court (a stunt now banned by the NBA) to introduce himself.
  3. ^ "Utah Governor Declares October 10 as the Utah Jazz Bear 20th Anniversary Day". UtahJazz.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Jazz Bear". UtahJazz.com. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Lake, Shauna (November 3, 2013). "Person 2 Person: Utah Jazz Bear". KUTV 2News Utah. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Furlong, Josh (October 19, 2018). "Reports: Jazz fire Bear performer after 24 seasons". KSL.com. Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Horrow, Ellen J. (October 19, 2018). "Utah Jazz fire longtime employee who played team's Jazz Bear mascot". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Urban, Andrea (October 7, 2024). "Jazz Bear turns into 'Hockey Bear' for Utah's inaugural NHL season". Fox 13 News. Retrieved 8 October 2024.

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