Justin Zanik is staying in Salt Lake City.
Announced on Tuesday morning, Zanik agreed to terms with owner Ryan Smith and CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge on a contract extension as general manager of the Jazz. While full details were not released, the extension is for multiple years.
“Justin’s basketball acumen, ability to create meaningful relationships throughout the league, and management of our front office are invaluable assets,” Ainge said. “We’re thrilled that he’ll continue to lead the team.”
Not only does the contract extension secure Zanik's stature in the league for the foreseeable future, but it also allows him to see through a plan that he started this past offseason — beginning with the hiring of rookie head coach Will Hardy.
"As our search committee went through this process, Will really separated himself among a group of extremely talented candidates," Zanik said of Hardy in June. "We're eager to get to work with him as we continue our pursuit of bringing an NBA championship to Utah."
Zanik and Ainge had a busy offseason that drastically changed the future of the organization with five trades this past summer — two of which included Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
Gobert, the three-time defensive player of the year, was sent to Minnesota in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, future draft picks, and a draft swap.
Mitchell, the three-time All-Star, was traded to Cleveland in exchange for guards Ochai Agbaji and Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen, future first round picks, and future first round draft swaps.
Once among the oldest teams in the NBA with limited assets, the Jazz are now among the youngest teams in the league with many assets — allowing Zanik the opportunity to fully execute the plan currently in place.
Those two trades, along with ones that sent out Royce O'Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic, have reignited a flame in Utah's future that was once considered dim.
“My family and I have fallen in love with this great city and the state of Utah, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue this journey with the Utah Jazz,” said Zanik. “I have a deep appreciation for my partnership with Ryan and Danny and am excited about our path forward with Coach Hardy. We look forward to building towards winning the championship our fans deserve.”
After graduating from Northwestern in 1998 with a degree in economics, Zanik immediately began his future working in basketball.
He was a certified agent for the National Basketball Players Association from 2003-13. He served as ASM Sports vice president for over a decade, overseeing all aspects of management for ASM's basketball clients.
Zanik got his big break in the NBA in 2013 when he was hired as assistant general manager of the Jazz, working side-by-side with then-GM Dennis Lindsey. He then took the same role with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2016-17 season before returning to the Jazz in the same capacity the following year.
He was hired as Utah's general manager in May 2019, immediately making an impact by signing Bogdanovic and trading for All-Star point guard Mike Conley that summer. He also brought over Jordan Clarkson in a trade in December 2019, setting the stage for Utah's success in the past few seasons.
Justin and his wife, Gina, have three children: Ava, Oskar, and Lucy. Gina Zanik is co-founder and executive director of Rare and Undiagnosed Network (RUN), which raises awareness and funding for rare and undiagnosed diseases. The cause is very personal for the Zaniks, and, together, they launched a RUN NBA initiative in 2015.