Azzi still at home in Utah — and her family, too

When the WNBA Utah Starzz went south to become the San Antonio Silver Stars for 2003, point guard Jennifer Azzi went with them but said she would keep her home in Salt Lake City.

Now two summers into basketball retirement, Azzi has kept that promise to an extent that probably even she would never have foreseen.

"Yeah, I seem to not be able to leave," said the 1996 Olympic gold medalist and 1990 NCAA Final Four MVP, Naismith and Wade awards winner who is a member of the USA Basketball board of directors through 2008.

Not that Azzi wants to leave Utah. "I love this community," she says.

And now, it's home for the whole Azzi family.

Her sister Susanne and Susanne's husband and 2 1/2-year-old daughter have lived a block away from Jennifer for a while, and a couple of weeks ago the Azzi parents moved from their longtime home in Tennessee to two blocks away from their daughter in Salt Lake City.

Azzi's mother just accepted a teaching position at Juan Diego. "They just happened to have an English position open," Azzi said. "It was really unbelievable. She just finished the school year in East Tennessee, and she was teacher of the year at her school."

Azzi's retired father also got a part-time job here. "They're getting older, and they just want to be near their family," Azzi said.

"Utah is just such a family place that it's great. The quality of life here is unbelievable," said Azzi, whose expertise at the point lifted the Starzz to their best seasons, and the WNBA playoffs, in 2001 and 2002.

"At first . . . my motivation to move here was because the team was here, but when the team left and I stopped playing, I realized I kind of have a great life in Utah," said Azzi, who keeps so busy she can't remember all her engagements but likes it that Salt Lake is a Delta hub that allows her to fly most places non-stop.

One week last month, she was in the Bay Area, where she played collegiately for Stanford and professionally in the ABL in San Jose, and then she went to Atlanta over the weekend to receive a "best new business" award she won for her Azzi Training from Overtime Magazine. The magazine specializes in news about businesses run by current and retired athletes.

"To win this award just kind of blows me away, to have that kind of national recognition for our company and our wellness days and our camps. It's great," said Azzi, who is joining former Utah Jazz player Thurl Bailey for a second year in putting on a youth basketball and life-fitness-skills camp at the Jewish Community Center on the University of Utah campus July 11-14. Contact the JCC to apply for the camp, (801) 681-0098, or via www.jenniferazzi.com.