NBA Fans Heartbroken After Legendary Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan Dies at 78

Legendary Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan died on Friday morning at the age of 78 years old. He was [...]

By Brian Jones

Legendary Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan died on Friday morning at the age of 78 years old. He was the Jazz coach for 23 seasons and made the team one of the top organizations in the NBA. At the time of his death, Sloan was dealing with Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.

"Our Hall of Fame coach for 23 years, Jerry had a tremendous impact on the Jazz franchise as expressed by his banner hanging in the arena rafters," the Jazz said in a statement. His 1,223 Jazz coaching wins, 20 trips to the NBA Playoffs and two NBA Finals appearances are remarkable achievements. His hard-nosed approach only made him more beloved. Even after his retirement, his presence at Jazz games always brought a roaring response from the crowd." Solan became the Jazz coach in 1988 and left the team in 2011. He won 1,223 games with the Jazz and led the team to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, losing to the Chicago Bulls both times.

Along with being a successful head coach, Sloan was a great NBA player, being named to the All-Star Game twice and selected to the All-Defensive team six times as a member of the Chicago Bulls. His No. 4 jersey was retired by the team, and NBA fans paid tribute to him on social media.

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