SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the 1990s, Dallas Mavericks point guard Derek Harper famously shot down a bid to be sold to the Jazz, quipping to ESPN, “You’re going to live in Utah.”
Two decades later, members of the Golden State Warriors team derided Salt Lake as a city with no nightlife that could “cradle a sleep.”
And two months ago, while reflecting on his time in Utah, former jazz star Donovan Mitchell said it was “sucking” to be a black man in the mostly white, deeply religious state.
As the spotlight turns to Salt Lake City and Utah during this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game, business and political leaders seek to debunk long-held notions—in basketball circles and elsewhere—of the state as a peculiar, boring, and homogenous place, lagging behind on LGBTQ and racial issues.
Her quest to present the city and state as increasingly diverse and vibrant has been complicated by Utah’s enduring legacy as a religious conservative stronghold coupled with recent political developments at the intersection of race, gender and sport.
Just a year ago, a nationwide ban on transgender children playing girls’ sports raised fears that organizers of some events like the All-Star Games would think twice about coming to Utah.
Still, political leaders see efforts to make businesses and tourists feel welcome as key to Utah’s continued growth and its ability to attract profitable trade shows and the Winter Olympics, which it is expected to compete again to host in 2034.
“What happens to these oddities that people think will dissipate very quickly when people actually come to Utah,” said Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican and avid jazz fan.
A pop-up liquor store was set up downtown this weekend between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jazz’s home arena to serve fans. Team owner Ryan Smith tells whoever will listen about the state’s resilient tech sector and progressive thinking. And the NBA is heavily promoting a pre-game performance starring Post Malone, a Utah-based, heavily tattooed rap star popular with local residents.
Salt Lake City has long been more liberal and religiously diverse than the rest of Utah, an island of blue in a sea of red. A majority of members of the current left-leaning city council identify as LGBTQ and are people of color.
In the three decades since 1993, when the All-Star Game was last played, its population has diversified and nearly doubled, turning it into a thriving metropolis, complete with the politics and problems that plague many mid-sized cities , including pollution, housing shortages and homelessness.
A dense skyline with apartments, office buildings and two inner-city shopping centers has developed between Temple Square and the nearby mountains. The 2002 Olympics brought an influx of funds that helped build a light rail system that many visitors will use during the All Star celebrations.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the counterculture that has sprung up and continues to thrive in response both contribute to the city’s social fabric.
“We may still be idiosyncratic, but we’re a minority Mormon now,” she said.
The faith’s far-reaching influence, known widely as the Mormon Church, will still be evident, but changes in its culture and the influx of thousands of secular residents may complicate Salt Lake City’s perception of the expected 150,000 All-Star attendees, said Patrick Mason, a professor of religious studies at Utah State University.
“Any visitor, especially a first-time visitor, will be immediately impressed by the Salt Lake Temple and Church properties, located right downtown near the arena. This is, as many people say, ‘the Mormon Vatican,'” he said.
High-profile church members also show how the image the faith projects has remained distinctive while becoming more integrated into the mainstream, he said.
“That’s really reflected in the younger generation of entrepreneurs and politicians,” Mason added. “People like Cox and Smith are Latter-day Saints who are committed to their faith but are also savvy people who grew up on the internet and connected to a global culture.”
Hosting the All-Star Weekend is a big opportunity for Smith, in particular, who bought the Jazz in 2020 after selling the survey software company he founded, Qualtrics, for $8 billion.
“This is just a chance to really have a moment together. People definitely know there’s something here,” Smith said. “It is absolutely unique in all positive aspects. I think the beauty of Utah is that people keep telling me from a wellness standpoint, ‘Utah is like where I’m best.’ ”
Since Smith attended a portion of All-Star Weekend as a member of Jazz’s youth basketball program in 1993, the NBA has earned a reputation for supporting progressive politics and social justice more than most other professional sports leagues.
Banning transgender athletes in girls’ sports didn’t cost Utah the All-Star Game. But some worry marketing efforts may face challenges as the state doubles down on its socially conservative stances on race, gender and sport. Last month lawmakers outlawed gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a policy being considered by lawmakers in a number of states across the country.
Utah has one of the highest white populations of any state, with 78% of its 3.3 million people, and less than 2% are black. This lack of racial diversity has long been thought to have hampered jazz’s efforts to lure free agents and retain players.
Mitchell said after joining the Cavaliers last offseason it took a lot of energy to confront a series of high-profile race-related experiences and the backlash he received in response. These included incidents of bullying against black students in Utah schools, which he described as “demoralizing”; a dispute between him and the President of the State Senate over new restrictions on how race and history might be taught; and the time Mitchell said he was pulled over and “got an attitude from the cop” until the officer saw Mitchell’s ID and realized he was the jazz player.
“It’s no secret that while I was in Utah, I dabbled in a lot of things, off the ground. … I set my mind to it because I felt like I could do it. But eventually it became a lot to deal with,” he told ESPN’s Andscape in December.
Some see the All-Star Weekend as a means to promote social justice initiatives and transform Salt Lake City’s image by showcasing often-overlooked areas of diversity. Clean Slate Initiative CEO Sheena Meade helped organize a wipe clinic with the NBA’s Social Justice Department ahead of the game, a year after Cox signed legislation to wipe low-level convictions from people’s criminal records. She said the NBA’s presence in places, regardless of prevailing local politics, has had a tangible impact.
“They do more than pay lip service. They host a variety of events,” Meade said. “What it means for the All-Star Game to come to a state like Utah is that it brings a cultural immersion and diversity and uplifts what’s happening on some social issues.”
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AP sportswriter Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.