Utah
Could the Utah Jazz Really Land LeBron James If They Draft Bronny?
Bronny JamesJeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
In an NBA draft that has reportedly been described by multiple league executives as “the worst draft they have ever seen,” eyes, posts and analysis have naturally drifted to second-round prospect Bronny James.
The son of LeBron James averaged 4.8 points and shot 36.6 percent from the field as a freshman at USC and then measured in at 6’1.5″ without shoes at the draft combine, but at least one team may be interested in picking him just after the first round.
“The [Utah] Jazz have expressed interest in bringing Bronny in for an individual workout and could be interested in him with the 32nd pick,” Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek wrote. “The franchise has been patiently rebuilding behind the leadership of Danny Ainge, and bringing in Bronny with the hopes of luring a superstar like LeBron could be the jump owner Ryan Smith is looking for to add a spark to the Jazz.”
In April, Ainge (the team’s CEO) said Utah would go “big game hunting,” and a ploy to attract LeBron would certainly qualify as that.
But it’s fair to wonder how realistic that pursuit would be.
It’s no secret that the Jazz don’t play in one of the league’s big or glamour markets. That makes attracting any free agents (or trade demanders) tough. And if LeBron were to decline his player option or ask L.A. to move him, he’d instantly be the biggest name available, despite the fact that he turns 40 next season.
It’s easy to see why Utah would be interested. Few athletes in the history of sports attract as much as attention as LeBron. And he’s currently smashing preconceived notions about the effects of age on a star.
With 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 threes and a 41.0 three-point percentage, LeBron was arguably one of the 5-10 best players in the league this season.
Beyond drawing more eyeballs to the organization, which boasts LeBron’s former teammate Dwyane Wade as a minority owner, he and Lauri Markkanen would make for a potentially devastating one-two punch on offense. Walker Kessler has the potential to be a bona fide defensive anchor behind them, too. Keyonte George showed some potential as a combo guard.
But does all of that add up to contention in the ultra-competitive West? Would it put James any closer to his fifth title than the Los Angeles Lakers already do? Even if it does, would the difference be meaningful enough to take LeBron out of L.A., where the TV and movie industries are and where LeBron has established roots for over half a decade?
If we’re being honest, the answer is almost certainly no.
So, back to the original report. Would Utah having Bronny on the roster trump all of the above for LeBron?
A year-and-a-half ago, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin: “I need to be on the floor with my boy. I got to be on the floor with Bronny.”
“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him,” LeBron added. “I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”
For months, that was interpreted as both LeBron wanting to be on the same team as his son and as a potential opportunity to lure James away from the Lakers. And that interpretation seemed pretty reasonable in the wake of this year’s elimination by the Denver Nuggets. Right after L.A. lost Game 5, The Athletic reported that the Lakers had a “willingness to draft James’ son Bronny in June.”
Of course, they don’t pick until the 50s, which opens the door for most of the league, including the Jazz, to take Bronny before L.A. can. And if he follows an up-and-down showing at the combine with some strong individual workouts with teams, more teams than Utah might talk themselves into taking a flier on him.
The height measurement raised some eyebrows (in part because he was listed at 6’4″ in college), but Bronny also had a 6’7.25″ wingspan. That’s good for a guard and even comparable to some wings. And there were only five players who topped his 40.5-inch max vertical leap.
He backed up those encouraging marks with a team-high 13 points in his second combine scrimmage.
Again, if that earned him some workouts and he does well in those, the Jazz might not be the only team willing to take a shot on him (and the potential of adding his dad to the roster).
But there are a lot of ifs, ands and buts throughout this text, including LeBron sort of downplaying the idea of teaming up with his son a few months after the ESPN interview (though he still maintained that it was his goal in those comments).
The biggest caveat, at least for Utah, may be the team’s prospects for getting LeBron his fifth title.
Barring some other dramatic move, a LeBron-Markkanen-led rotation probably wouldn’t leapfrog the Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks. Several others in the West should bounce back (like the Memphis Grizzlies) or are on the rise (like the Houston Rockets), too.
We could level the same criticism at the Lakers, who just got knocked out in the first round, but they came with the all the glitz and glam of L.A.
In short, every team but the Lakers should only be thinking about drafting Bronny for Bronny. He will be his own player, and organizations should focus their interest on that player.
If he does enough during the workout phase of the pre-draft process to get selected, great. If not, there’s no reason to dangle him like a carrot for a player who’s nearing the end of his career.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Utah and Salt Lake County a total of $3.5 million in grants to assess potentially polluted properties for eventual cleanup and redevelopment.
The agency announced a $2 million grant to Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality and $1.5 million to Salt Lake County to conduct environmental assessments and inventory brownfield sites for cleanup. Brownfields are sites that may be difficult to redevelop or expand because of “the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant,” according to the agency.
“These brownfields grants will help Utah communities clean up contaminated sites and unlock opportunities for redevelopment and investment,” EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western said in a news release announcing the grants earlier this week. “By transforming underused properties into community assets, EPA is helping create healthier neighborhoods and stronger local economies.”
The two grants awarded to Utah and Salt Lake County are among more than $248 million awarded to nearly 200 communities nationwide for brownfield assessment and cleanup. Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality plans to focus the resources on several areas in Ogden, Heber City and Fillmore, among others, according to Bill Rees, who leads Utah’s brownfield cleanup program.
“What we do is work to secure the funding and then begin to reach out to our communities across the state, say, ‘Listen, there’s opportunity to do some assessment work in your community if you’re interested,’ and then work with our rural partners, work with our urban partners to see if there are sites that will fit that bill,” he told KSL.
The state has received similar grants in the past, and Rees said the money can help local governments determine what to do with ailing properties such as old schools, hospitals or private property that have gone to waste.
“Is there asbestos in it, or is there hazardous material in it? Or could there be something that’s impacting the soil or the groundwater, and a policymaker needs to make a decision?” asked Rees. “Knowledge allows you to make good decisions.”
The $1.5 million awarded to Salt Lake County is the largest brownfields assessment grant the county has ever received, according to a county press release.
“This grant is a real win for our communities,” said Mayor Jenny Wilson. “This funding will let us do vital environmental work on a larger scale and in more neighborhoods. It reflects exactly the kind of partnership between local and federal government that gets results for residents.”
The county grant funds will be used to help create cleanup plans in three areas, including a vehicle storage yard in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark Neighborhood, a 4.26-acre vacant lot in Millcreek and a small commercial building in Magna that was damaged during an earthquake in March 2020, according to the EPA.
Contributing: Don Brinkherhoff
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued red flag warning Friday morning as emergency workers continued to battle one of the state’s largest wildfires in its history.
The red flag warning, issued when critical fire warnings are occurring or imminent, was to be in place through midnight Saturday.
“This is the FIRST Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued in NWS Salt Lake City history. This is an exceptionally rare event,” the federal agency said in its warning.
A map of the area under the warning covered much of central and southwest Utah, with an area of the southwest, central and southern mountains also outlined as “particularly dangerous red flag.”
The particularly dangerous area includes the Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver, which started Monday and had grown to covering almost nearly 71,000 acres by Thursday, 15 News reported. The fire forced evacuations.
The NWS warned that gusty winds and dry conditions would lead to rapid fire growth.
Utah also was dealing with the Iron Fire, which started June 19, and nearly destroyed the town of Eureka. The fire was about 27% contained Friday morning.
The fire danger led Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to issue executive order restricting fireworks statewide during the July 4 holiday, which marks the nation’s 250th birthday this year. The ban is in effect through July 5.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement issued by his office Thursday.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations” Jamie Barnes, Utah state forester and director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, added in the statement.
Cox allowed cities and local communities to set aside areas where fireworks could be safely used. The city of Provo announced it would enforce a citywide prohibition on fireworks and would not designate a safe area for fireworks.
“This year is different,” Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins said in a statement. “The wildfire danger facing our community is real, and protecting lives, homes, and our natural spaces must come first.”
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Earlier this month, 2News Investigates brought you a former inmate’s federal lawsuit alleging Utah Department of Corrections leaders failed to address reports of alleged sexual assault by correctional officers. Now, 2News Investigates examines another key claim in that lawsuit.
MORE: Federal lawsuit alleges Utah prison leaders covered up guards’ sexual assaults on inmates
The lawsuit alleges a mass cross-gender strip-search operation – women being viewed by men was intended to further silence female inmates.
Federal law generally prohibits cross-gender strip searches of female inmates except during emergencies or when conducted by medical personnel. UDC says that during body-search procedures, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area and inmate privacy is maintained. Former inmates say that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Three former inmates agreed to speak with 2News Investigates but asked that their identities not be revealed.
“It was very traumatic.”
According to the lawsuit, on May 13, 2025, UDC carried out a large-scale operation known as a “reset” in women’s housing units at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City.
Wendy: “They call it a reset. What do you call it?”
“A violation.”
“It’s like a rape.”
The lawsuit alleges UDC Deputy Warden Derick Zorn and Warden Sharon D’Amico directed the operation, along with more than a dozen members of the Critical Incident Response Team, or CIRT.
According to the plaintiffs, officers stormed dormitories, shouted profanities, and issued conflicting commands.
The women say and the lawsuit states they were ordered to pack their belongings into totes and change into state-issued uniforms in front of male CIRT officers. They were then marched to the Emerald Building for processing.
“It felt almost like we were at a concentration camp.”
The lawsuit alleges the women were required to undergo body scans and then strip completely naked. Plaintiffs claim they were ordered to lift their breasts, spread their buttocks, and cough while visible to male staff.
Women who were menstruating allegedly were instructed to remove menstrual products in full view of others.
“Just use one hand to remove it. Hold it up in front of you.”
“I felt really small and worthless.”
The lawsuit alleges some women were forced to hold soiled menstrual pads while performing physical maneuvers.
“I just did what I was told. I just wanted to get it over with.”
The plaintiffs also claim they were required to sit on toilets or squat to provide urine samples while completely naked and visible to male officers.
“It was humiliating. It was degrading.”
The lawsuit further alleges cell doors were left open, exposing naked women to other inmates and male staff.
An overhead observation booth with reflective glass overlooked the strip-search area. Plaintiffs say they observed movement inside and believed they were being watched from above.
The lawsuit alleges the female inmates were being watched from above during a mass strip search on May 13, 2025
“I could see in the overhead, the two-way mirror. There were multiple men walking around up there who had direct vision inside those cells.”
The lawsuit alleges Captain Jared Beers and Lieutenant Matthew Coombs were inside the booth and that Deputy Warden Derick Zorn observed women in various states of undress.
“I made eye contact with Officer Arroyo, and I also saw Deputy Zorn.”
“I knew if I could see the male officers, they could see me.”
One former inmate described the experience as state-sanctioned sexual violence.
“When that happens, and you’ve gone through the same kind of thing as a child, it’s very traumatic.”
The lawsuit alleges Warden D’Amico knew male officers were viewing naked female inmates and “ratified, condoned, and failed to stop it.”
An allegation in the lawsuit filed on May 15, 2026
“You’re pretty much a hostage.”
UDC Executive Director Jared Garcia declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview. A letter sent said:
“During the body search process in female living areas, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area, and privacy is maintained. In general, resets are conducted routinely, according to UDC policy and under strict protocols designed to ensure safety while also preserving the privacy and dignity of incarcerated individuals.”
“The manner matters.”
Walter Mason represents the plaintiffs.
He told 2News Investigates, “The law protects inmates from being exposed to members of the opposite sex viewing their naked bodies unless there’s an emergency. Unless there’s what the law calls an exigent circumstance, the prison can take necessary actions to protect safety. There was no emergency. There was no exigency.”
UDC says the reset involved approximately 150 trained staff members and was conducted according to department policy.
UDC’s letter goes on to say:
“Every effort was made to treat belongings with care and document confiscated items appropriately. UDC stands by our methods and policies, which are intended to maintain the highest standards of integrity, safety, and efficiency during the reset process.”
Written response from the Utah Department of Corrections regarding 2News investigations
I asked UDC whether any exigent circumstances existed on May 13, 2025, during the reset operation.
The response:
“No exigent circumstances occurred on May 13, 2025.”
I also requested information about what items were confiscated. UDC said it could not provide a specific list.
Response to questions posed by 2News Investigates to UDC regarding mass strip search and if exigent circumstances existed that day
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and accuses the defendants, all supervisors, of participating in a “coordinated effort to humiliate, mock, and psychologically degrade the plaintiffs … operating with a brazen and intentional disregard for clearly established law, fueled by an institutional custom of impunity.”
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