The lights went out and there was a moment of clarity.
Inside Vivint Smart Home Arena on Saturday night, the 18,000-plus fans lit up the darkened space with their cellphones during a break in the third quarter, a show of solidarity and force in the battle to eradicate cancer during the Utah Jazz’s second 5 For The Fight night of the season.
“I think it’s probably the healthiest thing that could happen to people in this business because it clarifies things,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said of the break in the middle of the game. “It clarifies how really inconsequential a lot of these things are. They can be really important to you in the moment. But when you step away sometimes, that step back sometimes is what you need to even perform at a higher level because you have perspective.”
The Utah Jazz are wearing the 5 For The Fight logo—a charitable cause that encourages everyone to donate at least $5 to cancer research—on their jerseys for the second season in a row. The patch, part of the partnership between the Jazz and Qualtrics, is the only cause-related jersey patch in the NBA.
Fan donations on Saturday were matched 10-to-1 by a donor, up to $500,000.
“That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. What can you do? What difference can you make in the world,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said of the night. “This is basketball. It’s All-Star and all that stuff. That’s not what it’s really about. It’s about making a difference and impacting the kids and helping people in need. That’s what it’s about.”
The Jazz on Saturday also recognized five business partners who have joined in the fight against cancer:
• Jim Burwell, Sure Steel
• Landon Fielding, GBS Benefits
• Dave Layton, Layton Construction
• Sue Urses, Ivanti
• Matt Caldwell, Infinite Scale
Jazz fans can also make a pledge to the Give 5 campaign this season. For more information, visit www.utahjazz.com/give5.