Around the NBA: Jazz wearing heart on jerseys

The decision to allow NBA teams to put small sponsor patches on their uniforms was universally thought to be a way to increase revenues, and that was the right perception. But the Utah Jazz took it an important step further and will put a charity’s logo, rather than a corporate one, on their jerseys. Sponsor Qualtrics, a “customer optimization” firm, struck a deal to put a “5 For The Fight” logo on Jazz jerseys. The charity raises money for cancer research.

KAWHI … ZOWIE: The San Antonio Spurs have long been one of the most egalitarian organizations — on and off the court — in the NBA, more about the team and fitting in rather than the individual. That’s changing, at least on the court, more and more this season. Kawhi Leonard, the team’s undisputed star, now has 18 games of more than 30 points, the most by any Spurs centre since Tim Duncan in 200102.

FIRING THEM UP: Here’s this week’s Three-Point Oddity note. Everyone knows the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are in love with the three-pointer, and every other team uses it as a staple of their offence. The Denver Nuggets are the latest to have some noteworthy accomplishment in long-distance shooting. They tied an NBA record by making 24 in a single game this week — ironically, in a lopsided win over the Warriors.

G FORCE: Lost amid the Serge Ibaka news of Tuesday was the fact that the NBA D-League is no more. It’s now the NBA Gatorade League — or G-League, I suppose — after the change of title sponsorship to an energy drink. Doesn’t really mean much, except that it enriches someone’s coffers somewhere. The Raptors, for instance, don’t have to dump BioSteel — a Gatorade rival — as a partner as a result. Might take some getting used to, but the golf folks lived through the Nike Tour and the Web.com Tour. It’s just another thing to get used to. Doug Smith