Utah Jazz Coach Initiates League-Wide Autism Acceptance Campaign to Begin April 2 on World Autism Day
By - Gabby Hundman
April 1, 202412:01 PM MDT
The campaign, organized by Jazz Assistant Coach Scott Morrison, has garnered public support from head coaches across the NBA who will wear custom shoes to raise awareness for autism acceptance throughout April
Tomorrow, on World Autism Day, the Utah Jazz will host Autism Acceptance Night at Delta Center during their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and kick off a league-wide campaign that has been organized by Scott Morrison, an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, who has an intimate understanding of the challenges autistic individuals face.
Starting tomorrow through April 7, head coaches across the NBA will wear customized Nike Air Force 1 07s to generate awareness and acceptance for individuals with autism. The bespoke sneakers were customized by JSM 801 Customs, a Salt Lake City-based design studio. Each pair has been painted with each NBA team’s colors and a rainbow infinity symbol. The symbol represents the neurodiversity paradigm and is also featured in the logo for “To the Max Foundation,” a nonprofit founded by Coach Morrison and his wife, Susanne, in honor of their four-year-old son Max, who was diagnosed with autism in 2022. Following the week-long campaign, the lovingly worn shoes will be autographed by the coaches who wore them and auctioned off with proceeds donated to “To the Max Foundation” to support autistic individuals and their families. More information on the auction will be shared in the coming days, and individuals who want to make separate contributions to the nonprofit organization can do so here.
The campaign started when Coach Morrison asked Jazz Head Coach Will Hardy and a few other coaches to wear customized sneakers in April to create awareness for autism acceptance efforts. As word spread, more head coaches across the league joined the effort. Coach Hardy will wear the shoes tomorrow and on Sunday, April 7 when the Jazz play the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center.
“This show of support for the autistic community by NBA teams and coaches is remarkable,” said Coach Morrison. “We are blessed to be in a position to spread a positive message of understanding, and we’re grateful to the Jazz for supporting our efforts to generate acceptance for autistic individuals. Our family will continue to do what we can to generate resources for individuals with autism who deserve our support on the journey to reaching their full potential.”
On April 2, the Jazz will welcome guests from the Autism Council of Utah and Columbus Community Center to their game in celebration of World Autism Day. Autism Acceptance will be celebrated in Delta Center during the game and during the Jazz broadcast on KJZZ and Jazz+.
Earlier this year, Delta Center was certified as a KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Venue. The certification provides staff with specialized training on identifying the needs of and supporting guests with sensory issues and introduces new resources for these guests, including sensory bags equipped with weighted lap pads, noise-canceling headphones, and fidget tools. Guests can pick up the sensory tools at Guest Services on Level 3 of the arena during Jazz games and other events. In 2018, the Jazz, in partnership with Vivint, unveiled a sensory room on Level 5 of their home arena. The space is designed as a safe haven for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing challenges, and other conditions related to neurodiversity to provide a safe haven. The room is open for Jazz games as well as other events hosted at Delta Center.