- The Utah Jazz implemented a unique offseason program inspired by 1980s Rocky movies.
- Players engaged in sledgehammer workouts hill sprints and endurance runs in Salt Lake City.
- The program fostered team bonding and resilience with promising results in summer league performances.
SALT LAKE CITY — The sound of metal on rubber echoed throughout the back lot of the Zion's Bank Basketball Campus. Utah Jazz players, sweat dripping down their faces, swung sledgehammers into tractor tires.
The Jazz did something a bit different this offseason.
How different?
"You need to think of like 1980s Rocky movies," Jazz director of performance science Barnett Frank said.
No, the Jazz didn't ship their players off to a Siberian wilderness to run up mountains, but a similar spirit was there.
In the back lot of the Zion's Bank Basketball Campus, they wielded sledgehammers and performed farmers' walks. They went to Sugarhouse Park to do hill sprints. They did endurance runs around the West High and Judge Memorial High tracks.
Jazz head strength and conditioning coach Isaiah Wright usually spends the early offseason trying to merge a program with whoever a player is working with over the summer. But last spring, at coach Will Hardy's request, Wright and his staff created something different: a program that was as much cultural and mental as it was physical.
"The biggest thing is, how can we create something that's theirs to run with?" Wright said.
So, in May, rather than taking a long break or heading home, Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, Cody Williams, Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks, Oscar Tshiebwe and Elijah Harkless stayed in Utah to run through the program.
It started in the gym with heavy lifting days, but quickly moved to the streets — quite literally.
Every Wednesday, the team headed into the city, where Sugarhouse Park and the local high schools became proving grounds.
"It was cool, because our guys got immersed in the city," Wright said.
So much so that some local high school students even wanted to jump in the fun — before being gently reminded that the team knew they were cutting classes.
And it wasn't just curious students who were drawn to the grind, either.
Wright had to overnight cleats for Walker Kessler so he could participate for a few days. Veteran forward Svi Mykhailiuk became a regular, and even Jordan Clarkson — who would later be bought out during the offseason — made appearances.
That was proof that the idea was working.
It wasn't just about the show of strength or speed; it was about building it together. "Boot Camp Fridays" became a weekly ritual, with coaches and staff flipping tires and carrying loads alongside players.
"Everybody was working," Wright said. "We'd set a 45-minute clock and work until you couldn't move anymore."
To Frank, the program wasn't about staging a gritty workout for a photo op; it was about building competitors.
"There are a lot of teams that'll say, 'We did the Navy SEAL boot camp for a day' … cool, but we did this for four to six weeks," he said. "That's unique in any sport. ... We forged some strong connections, and we forged some resilience in these guys."
That was the goal. And early returns are promising.
George, one of the most experienced among the young core, began to find his voice as a leader. And Collier found his voice as a trash talker, bringing an extra level of motivation to the training sessions. Hendricks was even involved, doing modified workouts as he continued to rehab from his broken leg.
Filipowski impressed the staff with how quickly his body adapted and how much edge he began to show. Sensabaugh, known as quiet by nature, uncovered a layer of competitiveness many hadn't seen.
By July, both were standouts.
Sensabaugh was arguably the best player at the Salt Lake City Summer League, and Filipowski was named Las Vegas Summer League MVP. Coincidence?
"I think that those two, being as dedicated to the six-week program as they were, got to reap the benefits a little bit in performance," Wright said.
The grind ended not with a whistle but with a laugh. Wright turned the last day into a lighthearted "graduation," complete with a slideshow and tiny trophies handed out to each player. Silly, sure, but also fitting — after weeks of pushing one another, they'd earned more than just bragging rights.
"The idea behind it was, this was a group that cares about each other, that wants more for each other," Wright said.
And wants more for the fans.
"It's important the fan base knows that these guys worked this summer. In a world that's all about social media and sponsorships, these guys worked for themselves," Frank said. "And now, they're ready to work for this community."
So what's next?
More.
"We're planning on it," Wright said when asked if the program would be an annual tradition. "All of us within the organization understand just how important it was for us to get together for this time, and there's no reason why we wouldn't continue it."
