Jerry Sloan

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Lore & Background

Sloan's coaching tenure began after Frank Layden became team president in December 1988. He immediately established a culture of toughness, leading the Jazz to six division championships and ten seasons with over 50 wins. His teams advanced to the Western Conference finals three times (1992, 1994, 1996) before reaching the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. In both final series, they faced his former team, the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen under coach Phil Jackson. Sloan was one of several coaches with ten or more seasons winning 50 or more games. After Stockton retired and Malone left for the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2003, expectations plummeted; some predicted a record-low win total for the 2003–04 season. Instead, Sloan led a young group including Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, and Deron Williams to a 42–40 record, fighting for the eighth playoff spot until losing their final two games against the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. Despite the miss, he finished third in voting for the 2004 NBA Coach of the Year, behind Hubie Brown and another coach.

In Their Own Story

On December 11, 2006, Sloan collected his 1,000th career win against the Dallas Mavericks in a 101–79 victory, becoming only the fifth coach in NBA history to reach that milestone. He later made history again on November 7, 2008, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 104–97 to become the first coach with 1,000 wins for a single team. His intensity was well-documented; he was suspended one game in April 1993 for pushing referee Bob Delaney and received a seven-game suspension in 2003 for pushing referee Courtney Kirkland in Sacramento. In February 2011, Sloan revealed he had signed an extension to coach the 2011–12 season, his 24th with the Jazz, but resigned just three days later on February 10 alongside assistant Phil Johnson. When asked if conflicts with guard Deron Williams forced him out, Sloan stated, "I forced myself out," adding that he had confrontations with players throughout his career and simply ran out of energy. His final game was a 91–86 loss to the Chicago Bulls on February 9.

Reader's Guide

Before his NBA coaching career, he coached at Evansville University but withdrew after five days; tragically, that same season, the Evansville basketball team and staff were killed in a plane crash. Sloan's regular-season record stood at 1,221–803 when he retired, placing him third all-time in NBA wins at the time. He is one of only four coaches with 15-plus consecutive seasons that have a winning record. His leadership style was fiery yet consistent; he led the Jazz to 16 consecutive playoff appearances initially (the source notes 15 from 1989–2003, then a miss in 2004). He coached future Hall of Famer John Stockton and Karl Malone for the majority of their careers. In April 2009, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with Charles Barkley introducing him. After his resignation in 2011, assistant Tyrone Corbin replaced him as head coach.

Did You Know?

• Sloan was the first player to have his number retired by the Chicago Bulls, with jersey #4 being honored in 1978.
• He was suspended for pushing referee Bob Delaney in April 1993 and again for seven games in 2003 after pushing referee Courtney Kirkland.
• Sloan became the first coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins with one club (the Utah Jazz) on November 7, 2008.
• Despite injuries to key players in 2003–04, Sloan led the young Jazz to a 42–40 record.
• Sloan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same class as his former point guard John Stockton, with Charles Barkley introducing him.