Jazz and Mammoth owner Ryan Smith talks Steve Ballmer, sports betting and NIL donations

The 2026-2027 NHL and NBA seasons are weeks away.

Utah Jazz and Mammoth owner Ryan Smith sat down with Front Office Sports in Tuesday’s episode of “Portfolio Players.”

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Here are four things Smith discussed from fellow NBA owner Steve Ballmer’s punishment to expanding Smith Entertainment Group’s portfolio.

On Steve Ballmer

Earlier this month, the NBA punished the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing the salary cap by losing five future first-round draft picks, suspending owner Steve Ballmer for a year and fining the team $30 million, according to ESPN.

Ballmer accepted the punishment last week. Front Office Sports asked Smith for his thoughts on the situation.

“On a personal level, Steve has been so awesome to me over the years,” he said. “(He was) one of the first phone calls I had when I came in, knew him from tech. He’s a stand-up individual first and foremost.”

The Jazz owner said he was “glad” Ballmer accepted the punishment, so the league can “just turn the page and move on.”

Smith then praised Ballmer for his impact on the NBA.

“I love Steve,” he said. “I think he’s been an incredible owner in the league. I mean, his impact — I think the NBA is way better with him, but this is just one of those things. Hopefully, he can get back on the horse next year and we can get back in it. And I think everyone is just ready to move on.”

On his NIL donations to BYU

Smith said donating to collegiate programs’ NIL funds is a “cheaper” alternative to influencing a professional team but provides “the same feeling and passion.”

Smith himself is a well-known supporter for his alma mater, BYU. He said his NIL donations are part of paying it forward.

“I’m sure there’s some scenario when I’m no longer here they’re going to get a big chunk of what I’ve got,” he said. “There’s no secret to that, but that’s the right thing to do because that’s where it all started. It’d be really weird if it didn’t. You got to remember where you came from.”

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On expanding SEG’s sports portfolio

Smith was asked if he would want to “get in on” the MLB’s expansion to Salt Lake City, which has been led by the Larry H. Miller Family’s Big League Utah.

“Our group will be pretty aggressive in how we pursue sports. OK? I think that’s probably all I’ll say. We do it our own way,” Smith said.

The Jazz and Mammoth owner said Smith Entertainment Group views sports as a vehicle for building Utah.

“For us it’s not really about saying how many trophies do we get up on the wall from a sports ownership standpoint,” he said. “I think we’re pretty focused about, like right now, currently it’s Utah, and ‘What can we do with sports to build the state of Utah? How can sports be the ultimate anchor tenant?’”

But the Mammoth will not be Smith Entertainment Group’s last team.

“A lot of our focus is not only, ‘OK, what’s the other or the next team or are we going to buy a Premier League team or how that — that’s, we’re running those routes and we’re constantly looking at that,” Smith said. “We will be doing other sports. There’s no question with our group. The appetite’s there. The operational expertise is there, and I think SEG, Smith Entertainment Group, is one of the best up and coming brands that’s coming with what we’re doing.”

With that focus on Utah, would Smith consider buying a U.S. team outside the Beehive State?

“I’m not ruling anything out. We’ve taken a look at a lot of things closely,” he said.

On sports betting

Sports betting has become pervasive with athletes even partnering with prediction market companies.

Smith said sports betting is “here to stay.”

“It’s a little bit of like ‘To what end?’” he said. “But it’s part of the game. We’re not going to stop it. We’re not going to control it, but the idea that these leagues are like super in on it is totally false. People could put up a site tomorrow and have a marketplace of betting, and we don’t even know what they’re betting on.”