Jazz notes: A Pink Grandma passes away; Jeff Withey signs with Dallas


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SALT LAKE CITY — One of the beloved Pink Grandmas has passed away.

Keiko Mori, 88, died Thursday night, her family said Friday. She had been battling health problems after suffering a seizure in April.

Mori, along with her sister Yeiko Homma, spent 20 years as Jazz season ticket holders, cheering on the Jazz from Section 7, Row 12. Fans cheered when the sisters, affectionally known as the Pink Grandmas thanks to their signature pink Jazz uniforms, appeared on the Jumbotron at Vivint Arena. Fans even dressed as the Pink Grandmas on multiple occasions.

During the Jazz's playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, the Jazz awarded Mori and Homma unique, pink "Take Note" shirts, the only ones of that color given to anyone in the arena.

“Nobody else will have one like it,” Mori said at the time. “The team is very friendly and congenial with us."

Granddaughter Kamauri Yeh shared the news on Twitter with four tweets.

> 1/4 Heaven received a very special angel last night. It's hard to describe how much she will be missed. [@pinkgrandmas](https://twitter.com/pinkgrandmas) [pic.twitter.com/dUB7tN3o4B](https://t.co/dUB7tN3o4B) > > — Kamauri Yeh (@yehwho) [August 18, 2017](https://twitter.com/yehwho/status/898613535613231104)

> 2/4 To many, she was a [@utahjazz](https://twitter.com/utahjazz) [@pinkgrandmas](https://twitter.com/pinkgrandmas), but to us, she was the most special person who could warm any room with her smile & cookies. [pic.twitter.com/JbaU4kILjp](https://t.co/JbaU4kILjp) > > — Kamauri Yeh (@yehwho) [August 18, 2017](https://twitter.com/yehwho/status/898614044411559936)

> 3/4 I know she's smiling down in her pink jersey and still thinks Gordon Hayward stayed in Utah. Let's keep it that way. [pic.twitter.com/DcKd6PEwsx](https://t.co/DcKd6PEwsx) > > — Kamauri Yeh (@yehwho) [August 18, 2017](https://twitter.com/yehwho/status/898614253954805760)

> 4/4 Love you always, grandma and am so proud to be your granddaughter. You're legacy will live on forever. [\#pinkgrandmas](https://twitter.com/hashtag/pinkgrandmas?src=hash) 💕 [pic.twitter.com/n21N9xUSlg](https://t.co/n21N9xUSlg) > > — Kamauri Yeh (@yehwho) [August 18, 2017](https://twitter.com/yehwho/status/898614538685132800)

Withey to Dallas

Former Jazz center Jeff Withey has signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, Yahoo's Shams Charania reported.

Withey found his spot in the rotation taken by two new Jazz acquisitions. The Jazz selected Tony Bradley 28th in June's NBA Draft, and then the team signed Ekpe Udoh to a two-year deal in July. That, plus the recovery of Derrick Favors and the emergence of Joel Bolomboy, made Withey's role disappear.

Withey averaged 3.6 points per game in 102 contests with the Jazz, averaging 10.7 minutes per game. He was one of the NBA's best block artists in 2016-17, with 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes during the season.

For Dallas, Withey represents an insurance policy in case Nerlens Noel, a trade deadline acquisition and current restricted free agent, chooses to not re-sign or gets injured during the season.

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Andy Larsen

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