Jerry Sloan is a former American basketball player and coach. He is best known for his 23-year tenure as head coach of the Utah Jazz, during which he won 1,221 games and two NBA'>NBA Finals appearances.
Jerry Sloan is a legendary basketball coach and former player who is best known for his long tenure as head coach of the Utah Jazz. He was born in McLeansboro, Illinois in 1942 and attended the University of Evansville, where he was a two-time All-American. After college, he was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the fourth round of the 1965 NBA'>NBA Draft. He played for the Bullets, Chicago Bulls, and the original ABA’s Virginia Squires before retiring in 1976.
Sloan began his coaching career in 1978 as an assistant coach for the Bulls. He was promoted to head coach in 1979 and led the Bulls to the playoffs in his first season. He was fired in 1982 and then became an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz in 1985. He was promoted to head coach in 1988 and led the Jazz to the playoffs in each of his first 15 seasons. He was named NBA'>NBA Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1998 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Sloan was known for his hard-nosed, defensive-minded approach to the game and his ability to get the most out of his players. He was also known for his loyalty to the Jazz organization, as he stayed with the team for 23 years before retiring in 2011. He is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in NBA'>NBA history and his number 4 jersey was retired by the Jazz in 2014.