Legendary Utah Jazz coach (1988-2011), Jerry Sloan died this Friday at age 78. He had allowed the franchise to reach the NBA Finals twice.
He celebrated his 78th birthday on March 28. Jerry Sloan, the legendary coach of the Utah Jazz between 1988 and 2011, died on Friday. He had Parkinson’s disease and also had Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disease.
Drafted by the Baltimore Bullets (1965-66), then passed by the Bulls (1966-76) during his playing career, the McLeansboro, Illinois native then embraced a coaching career.
1,223 wins with the Utah Jazz
First in Chicago from 1979 to 1982, then taking the helm of the Utah Jazz in 1988. A franchise he led twice to the NBA Finals against Michael Jordan’s Bulls (defeated in 1997 and 1998). After 23 years of service, the former full-back announced his departure to surprise in 2011, saying he needed to “move on.” In all his seasons, Sloan had only finished one time below 50% of victories.
Rest easy, Coach ❤️https://t.co/5eonFoUR61 pic.twitter.com/ynrk0JnO0V
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 22, 2020
“Jerry Sloan will always be associated with the Utah Jazz. We are so grateful for all he has accomplished here. His 1,223 goals as a coach, 20 playoff qualifiers and two finals are remarkable successes,” the Utah Jazz said in a statement.
Although he has never won a single title, his longevity makes him one of the most iconic and recognized coaches in NBA history. Only three coaches have been more successful than him: Don Nelson (1,335), Lenny Wilkens (1,332) and Gregg Popovich (1,272). Sloan was inducted into the 2009 Hall of Fame, the pantheon of U.S. basketball.
