This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utah Jazz will join other NBA teams in adding a sponsored patch to their uniforms next season, but with a charitable twist.
For their first ever jersey patch, the Jazz are partnering with Qualtrics, a Provo research software company. The patch, however, will not feature the Utah company's name, but rather the name of a cancer research charity called "5 For the Fight."
"We believe today we are an example of how organizations can work together for the greater good," Jazz president Steve Starks said.
Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith said he started the company 15 years ago as a way of bonding with his father after a cancer diagnosis.
"We decided then if we ever got a chance to do something for this cause that we would," Smith said, adding that the goal is to raise $50 million in donations, $5 at a time.
According to the charity's website, 5forthefight.org, 100 percent of donations will "go directly to supporting groundbreaking cancer research."
The jersey patch sponsorship is for three years and worth in excess of $10 million. Starks said the Jazz identified five possible sponsors for the patch before zeroing in on Qualtrics as their primary target.
Qualtrics, meanwhile, will partner with the Jazz to research and analyze the franchise's fan experience as part of a $110-million arena remodel.
The Jazz join the Philadelphia 76ers, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets as the first NBA teams to reveal their jersey patches for next season. Revenue from the sponsorships are split between the franchises and the league's players.
Stealing signs
When the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan comes to town, Quin Snyder has to do his best impression of a baseball manager.
"He won't leave me alone on the bench. He steals all of our calls," the Jazz coach said. "… It's almost like baseball to get anything by him. You have to have an indicator and all that stuff."
Snyder said he looks at Jordan — who was picked by the coaches to be an All-Star this season for the first time in his career — as a player he would like his own center, Rudy Gobert, to emulate.
"I think coaches value and understand the importance of what defense does," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "You have a big guy here who will be on the team soon and he'll be on it for that reason. Gobert will be on the All-Star team because he's a rebounder and a defender and because he's an intimidator and that's a big role."
Streak continues
Gobert blocked a Blake Griffin jump shot late in the first quarter, extending his league-leading streak to 24 straight games with at least one swat. Gobert, who has at least one block in 53 of Utah's 56 games this season, leads the NBA in swats per game (2.51).
Twitter: @aaronfalk