The official site of the National Basketball Association. I remember he looked at me and hes like, Im not doing this again. We were both freezing, Im uncovered. His name was Mark and he would teach me after hours and stuff. The Jazz Bear has been their mascot since 1994 and Jon Absey has been behind the costume since the beginning. I left my head on and it felt funny. Looking back at everything that I did and how I started, I was fortunate to have the beginning of it all like the perfect management. He was the best & always willing to drop by with a confetti cannon. The message of this show is a simple reminder, we become the average of the five people we associate with the most, which means you need to find a mascot in your life, but more importantly, if you were a mascot, you must be the same offstage as your onstage. "coverDisplay":false, Its like a full circle. It was just silly string. Jazz Bear was introduced to the league on November 4, 1994. "url":"", I wanted to be able to entertain people without having to spend as much as it was back then to go to a game, and also now. Long-time Former Jazz Bear tells all https://t.co/maNuOwLk8Q, Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) January 15, 2020. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Jon Absey has played Jazz Bear since the mascots inception in 1994, but he was fired this week and is no longer with the organization, according to Utah media reports, which cited a rift with Jazz staff. "The Jazz Bear will continue to be one of the most iconic mascots in . Thats so wrong. It was a group effort to get the character going. The Bear's identity is safe at least for now. "controls":[ After spraying two Rockets fans with silly string in between quarters of a game last week, one of the fans reacted by dumping . The mascot has proven to be so popular in the city that he even has a day named after him. He needs all the help he can get, but Jon doesnt need any help. Before, he says, he hid under a mask. A new man will be donning the furry costume and entertaining Jazz fans at Utah's NBA home opener Friday night. }, [1][2] Since Jazz Bear's introduction, he has performed at over 800 Jazz home games. Bleacher Creatures Milwaukee Bucks Bango Mascot 8" Kuricha Sitting Plush. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images). He was the old Phoenix Gorilla. He has been inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame, the Utah Summer Games Hall of Fame, and the Mascot Hall of Fame. Who is the individual when you go to a sporting event and you see this mascot perform, engage the audience, and cheer on that home crowd to give us the home field or home court advantage? I was just me. I said, If I dont share it and nobodys trying to copy it, one, I dont know if its good enough to that Im doing this. Its funny because when you talk about people with your stature and what youve done, you dont always hear it. Bear joined a group of students fromEagle Valley Elementary School in Eagle Mountain, UT less than 24 hours after being announced as the NBAs Mascot of the Year for the 2017-18 season for breakfast, after which he walked the kids to school. As were coming in, I remember everything in me to hold us and we hit the floor. "Out of respect for his character, which is separate from any employee ever. Youve let so many other people in your life. I remember hitting the ground, and just running. You always had time for everybody. Jan 12, 2012, 10:55 AM EST. I miss it. I am a better man, human being, father, and husband who have had a chance to hang out with you. I didnt have to see through a screen. 5 Rocky the Mountain Lion Denver Nuggets. I thought he broke a rib. Thats about it. Absey did handstands on a 23-foot tall ladder, rappeled from the ceiling, and slid down the stairs. I was a farm boy in a little town up in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. All celebrating kids who couldnt have a Christmas and wouldnt have the means with their parents, you provided that for them. On the same day he was honored, a video of Bear encouraging motorists not to drive like an ape debuted on YouTube. "style":"regular", Utah Governor Gary Herbert declared October 10, 2013 as "Jazz Bear Day" in recognition of his 20th season as the Utah Jazz' mascot. The engaging and fun-loving bear is the cousin to the Utah Jazz mascot Jazz Bear and will be introduced to fans during the second timeout of the first quarter at the Lifetime Activities Center-Bruin Arena on the Salt Lake Community College Taylorsville Campus. MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 12: Jazz Bear, mascot for the Utah Jazz rubs a fans head during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks on January 12, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Usually, when Id get up there, I had time to take my head off, look and hook myself, and check my equipment. Thats what youve always been able to do. Jon Absey wore the Jazz Bear suit well, there were nine of them for almost 25 years. Utah Jazz '17-18 review: Donovan Mitchell. When I hit Winnipeg, I remember I rappelled in and straddled two beams, and when Thunderstruck started, I would jump in the air, put my feet together, and zip in quick on a rope, and I got up there late. Jon Absey Back when I started and then all the way up through the 90s, we were fortunate enough to have two finals and they were amazing. He was 1 of the 3 highest-paid professional baseball players in the entire league. In this episode, Jon Absey, the original NBA basketball Utah Jazz Bear, an extraordinary philanthropist, shares his life and fascinating journey in becoming a sports team mascot. Number one in the hearts and souls of every Utah Jazz fan who ever lived and will continue to live. You then have the Phoenix Gorilla and some of the other mascots in the league like Rocky, Crunch, Sacramento, Portland, and Indy, but theyre that mix where youre funny and athletic. 1 of 5 Perhaps the most glaringly obvious example of a team name being unrepresentative of its current home is the Utah Jazz. Sponsored. Its amazing when you put a number of people or that many people together what you can accomplish. And he can interact with the kids as himself now. Jon Absey wore the Jazz Bear suit well, there were nine of them for almost 25 years. Im always tearing pages out of my book when I watch you because I love how you have allowed me to be part of your life and everybody else to be part of your life and how you give back to the communities, so thank you. "label":"Spotify" Thats where it all started as just an idea to raise money to be able to take kids shopping. Years later, theyre adults and coming to give back because of what it did for them. I remember one time we were over by like $5,600. You started mascotting in 93, and thats not when you came to the Jazz and was way before when you did everything else? Mark started doing handstands. Bold predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season. I was like, Thatd be great, because I was a poor college kid making $25 a game. Andy was with the big Mark Eaton and it was the same thing going to Walmart and doing the thing. Utah Jazz mascot Jazz Bear excites the crowd during a break in play between the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings on March 13, 2016 at Sleep Train Arena. There were crazy moments. I chickened out. It was awesome. window.addEventListener('loadFuseboxPlayer', function(e) { Even though Ive been gone for a while, Im still in touch with everybody. One thing led to another, and he was asked to try out to be the Jazz mascot in the early 1990s. The Fargo Fever, which was a CBA team back in the day before the D league and stuff, came over and asked if there was anybody there that would want to be a mascot. Welcome to the show. Of course its fake. It was so hard on my body because I would feel every stair as that thing went down. Jazz Bear is the mascot for the Utah Jazz, a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bears impact cannot be overstated. 201718 Utah Jazz Media Guide. Absey is telling all in a new podcast called "Return to Real.". This archived news story is available Fuckin' hilarious. Grand Harrison called me a couple of weeks after. Absey is telling all in a new podcast called Return to Real. Its the first time hes spoken about his time in the costume since his firing. You said something very intriguing about the difference between professional athletes nowadays and the days of old. "They thought I was either going to kill myself or kill a fan," he said. [1] Utah Governor Gary Herbert declared October 10, 2013 as "Jazz Bear Day" in recognition of his 20th season as the Utah Jazz' mascot, and also his countless hours of community and public service and his standing as an important citizen of Utah. About 120. It was three years as a sophomore and two years as a genius. During a timeout, there were a few fans on the floor . As a mascot, youll be doing a lot of stunts so you need a great guardian angel to look over you. When you think about it, these athletes are playing the kids games. Dating back to his first year as the Jazz's mascot in 1994, Bear has given 15,000-plus hours of assistance in the community for more than 300 community organizations, raising over $1 million in the process. She goes, Jon, can you come in here? I got up and walked over. We always said, The Jazz Bear is here, and the Jazz Bear would show up, but I wanted everybody to know Jon Absey showed up who happened to be the Jazz Bear. 506.6K Followers. Give us an inside glimpse of when you think that shift occurred and where it occurred from, Im so grateful to be a professional athlete. I knew we had something in common as soon as we kept talking along. Honestly, I was never a gymnast. When you have an opportunity, never doubt yourself. }, Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Bleacher Creatures Milwaukee Bucks Bango 10" Mascot Plush Figure - Signed at the best online prices at eBay! With all due respect to any mascot out there, the person inside the suit makes the character come alive and makes the difference. Im a fan of a team in that the players appreciate me being there and spending that hard-earned money to come to watch them play. When you do, youll find yourself at the top of your game despite lifes adversaries. Theres a difference between a costume and someone whos inside the costume that uses that vehicle or character to express who he is. They get to get out there and pull it off. I was like, I got to get a bigger ladder. Thats when we pulled out the 25-footer. Jon Absey, who portrayed the team's Jazz Bear mascot for 24 years. It twists down on your wrist. It was my wifes 40th birthday party. Behind every successful husband is an astonished mother-in-law. The 50-year-old Absey won the 2017-18 Mascot of the Year award as Jazz Bear, marking the fifth time he garnered the honor in his career. He can still do the splits at age 52. Im almost ready to tap out. I would watch him do his backflips and Id say, Do it again, and if I could see it and visualize it, I could do it. Theres a big difference. I knew that I needed to give back to show my gratitude. He is the original Jazz Bear. . All rights reserved. Dating back to his first year as the Jazzs mascot in 1994, Bear has given 15,000-plus hours of assistance in the community for more than 300 community organizations, raising over $1 million in the process. Follow @brohrbach, More from Yahoo Sports: Report: Rihanna turned down Super Bowl halftime show 5 reasons Bostons back in the World Series Potter actor left scarred by fantasy football injury Deep issues for Lakers after LeBrons debut, according to the Deseret News Eric Woodyard, a seemingly endless supply of Silly String, Report: Rihanna turned down Super Bowl halftime show, 5 reasons Bostons back in the World Series, Potter actor left scarred by fantasy football injury, Deep issues for Lakers after LeBrons debut. We got to go.. Welcome to #nbaallstar #utah. I was like, Nothing is going to stop me., One time, this big snow storm was happening, Santa Claus, I cant say his name, he always showed up and ride in the bucket with me. "url":"https://overcast.fm/itunes1573990224/power-players-with-dan-clark", Jazz Bear is the club's mascot. But he said he realized everyone could be just one management change from being let go. When I left, I had nine guys that worked with me on game night. Antoine Davis finished four points shy of surpassing Pete Maravich as the NCAA career scoring leader, scoring 22 vs. Youngstown State. I was 22. No, but when we have arguments with our spouses or significant others, we call it the rebound rate. Frank Zang, the spokesperson for the Utah Jazz, did not tell News4Utah why he was let go and said the man's identity has never been released, out of respect for the character. [6][7], "The Bear facts: The Utah Jazz 16-year mascot, Bear, balances life of court jester, charity king", "Utah Governor Declares October 10 as the Utah Jazz Bear 20th Anniversary Day", "Reports: Jazz fire Bear performer after 24 seasons", "Utah Jazz fire longtime employee who played team's Jazz Bear mascot", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jazz_Bear&oldid=1100250002, This page was last edited on 24 July 2022, at 23:38. Join us as we welcome our special guest, Jon Absey, the former Utah Jazz Bear mascot. When they moved in, my sweet mother, visualize her, the youngest of nine children raised by a single mom on a farm in Southern Idaho. When I would get surgery because I hurt myself, theyd always say like, Its going to be hard to come back. Give us the inside scoop of the Mascot Bowl. I was like, If we can make this industry stronger and better, itll help all of us. Five guys showed up the first year, and then as time passed, it turned into the conference you had to attend. "spotify":{ Its humbling to know that these guys will take time out of their careers, days, and years to go out and sweat like crazy and get hurt for a charity they dont even do anything with. It was different. [4] The Bear has suffered many injuries while performing, including tearing his bicep and rupturing a tendon in his calf. God bless you. What a good way to turn off the lights at night and go to sleep. We all talk about the way our teams are either the team or a fan treating us, or this has happened, so we all stay in touch. Well be forever grateful. It was a little bit harder, but I could figure it out. }, SALT LAKE CITY (AP) It took a bear Jazz Bear to catch a bat and leave the high-flying hijinks to the NBA players. Inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006, Absey worked more than 800 home games as Jazz Bear, according to Woodyard. Larry H. Miller Charities (PDF). Is it more of a professional association? Free shipping. That was my push. That is a testimony to what guys they were. Or, perhaps it was because he heard how great the winters in Phoenix are. Lets go all the way back. Follow the action on NBA scores, schedules, stats, news, Team and Player news. Players didnt write me those checks like it was. When you have the Jazz players, the Gail and Larry Miller family, the fan base, the thousands and thousands of ticket holders and season ticket holders who have been entertained and inspired by you, its an honor for me to unveil the mask or the masked singer. They arent above anybody just because they get a bigger paycheck. We had a mat there and I crashed into the mat because thats how fast you were going. Until October 2018. Even among other mascots, Jazz Bear stands out as one of the most charismatic and fans of his can hire the bear for $300 per hour. "url":"https://feeds.podetize.com/rss/QVnbs-974Q", How long does it take you to come back and start talking instead of holding a grudge? Find the best Plush for your project.