Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
GIVING THANKS — A small smile grew on Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy's face. The reason? He had just been asked what he was thankful for.
Hardy is in his third season as an NBA head coach. It's still sometimes hard for him to believe this is where he ended up.
Thanksgiving time allowed him to step back and get a bit reflective.
"Yeah, this job is crazy," he said. "Like, come on, this is not real life. I get to coach basketball every day. I get to be with these guys every day. I love them to death and they drive me crazy. We're just as dysfunctional as any family. I'm just thankful for this whole thing. It's, like, surreal every day. I haven't gotten used to it; I hope I never do — beats having a real job."
(I can relate to that last part. Thank you for reading and making "sports writer" an actual career.)
"This is not real life, I get to coach basketball everyday, I get to be with these guys every day..."
— NBA (@NBA) November 28, 2024
Last night @utahjazz coach Will Hardy shared all he was thankful for 🫶 #HappyThanksgivingpic.twitter.com/y2XNoIZ0dZ
So what are the other members of the Utah pro sports community thankful for?
Jazz center Walker Kessler said he was "thankful for my family. I'm thankful for the opportunity to play the sport I love. I'm thankful for good food — really thankful for good food."
Kessler, though, had to search for that food this Thanksgiving. His parents, sister and girlfriend were all in town, but everyone except his dad flew back ahead of Thursday. That left him and his pops to try to figure out dinner. They opted to let the professionals handle it for them.
"We're gonna go try to find some food somewhere because neither of us is cooking," Kessler said with a chuckle.
In his first holiday season in the Salt Lake area, Utah Hockey Club coach André Tourigny said he was grateful for all the help he, his family and his team received during the move to Utah.
"I'm thankful for the health of my family. I'm thankful for everything that's been provided in our transition to Salt Lake. I'm thankful for all the support we got from the fans and everybody. So there's a million things," he said.
Utah HC forward Logan Cooley feels pretty lucky, too.
"I think just being in the NHL every day," He said. "There's so much to be thankful for. I could probably go on and on, but obviously family, and just being able to do what I love."
