The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz to honor late LDS President Thomas S. Monson at tonight’s game

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 2: President Thomas Monson, waits for the start of the 186th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on April 2, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mormons from around the world will gather in Salt Lake City to hear direction from church leaders at the two day conference. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 2: President Thomas Monson, waits for the start of the 186th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on April 2, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mormons from around the world will gather in Salt Lake City to hear direction from church leaders at the two day conference. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images /
facebooktwitterreddit

Following the passing of LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson, the Utah Jazz announced they will hold a moment of silence in his honor in tonight’s game.

The Utah Jazz have announced that they will honor the late President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Thomas S. Monson with a moment of silence prior to tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Monson, who had served as the LDS Church President since 2008, passed away Tuesday night in his Salt Lake City home.

Although the Utah Jazz family is filled with people of different faiths, origins and walks of life, given that the team is located in Utah, there is obviously a significant amount of Mormon influence surrounding the organization, and President Monson was a key member of the Salt Lake Community.

Not only that, but he was a big Jazz fan himself. He would attend games with relative frequency, often watching from John Huntsman Sr.’s private suite. With news of his passing this morning, an old video surfaced on social media showing him attending a game back in 2008 where he patted head coach Jerry Sloan on the shoulder and presumably offered some words of encouragement. You can check out some fun articles and videos on the incident below:

In conjunction with the Utah Jazz’s announcement that they will honor President Monson with the moment of silence before tonight’s game, the organization along with the Larry and Gail Miller Family released a nice statement honoring the former church leader, his life and involvement in the community:

Regardless of one’s faith or beliefs, it’s nice to see the Jazz honoring someone who was clearly so important to many within their ranks and their fanbase. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by his passing.

Next: Utah Jazz-NOLA: Ricky Rubio, Rajon Rondo battle for dimes

The Jazz will tip-off tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 PM MT as they look to start off 2018 with a win and earn their first consecutive victories since early last month.

Home/Jazz News