Utah Jazz: Jerry Sloan should be remembered as an all-time great
Jerry Sloan will be remembered as an all-time great
Growing up a fan of basketball, there are many pictures that shaped my fandom. However, one of my very first memories includes Jerry Sloan. Even if it came indirectly.
One of my first basketball memories involves watching Michael Jordan beat the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals with his final shot in a Chicago Bulls uniform. At just eight years old, I can’t help but reveal that I was rooting for Utah. I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog – plus I had met Antoine Carr at a youth basketball camp the year before (I had to stick to my allegiances).
As an eight-year-old, I knew John Stockton, Karl Malone, and Jeff Hornacek – Jerry Sloan, though, wasn’t a name that a young boy would be familiar with. However, he was the star that stirred the potential Jazz drink.
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Jerry Sloan is a legend in Utah
Before Sloan took over as the head coach in Utah, during the 1988-89 season, the Jazz had made the playoffs five times in its 14-year history. In those five playoff appearances, they’d won three series. But hadn’t advanced beyond the second round in any of those years.
When Sloan took over the reins, though, he helped the Jazz reach the next level. During his 23 years as the head coach of the Jazz, he led them to the Western Conference Finals six times and the NBA Finals twice. Had it not been for Michael Jordan, he likely wins at least one NBA championship.
Overall, he helped lead the Jazz to the playoffs in each of his first 15 seasons as the head coach and 19 times overall through those 23 seasons. He advanced to at least the second round 11 times.
As a fairly young franchise at the time, Sloan shaped the Jazz into the respected franchise that they are today. To really put that into context, the Jazz has only missed the playoffs eight times since the 1988-89 season.
Sloan is ranked fourth amongst coaches in NBA history with 1,221 wins during his career with a top 25 winning percentage (60%). You can easily make the argument that he’s one of the best NBA coaches in league history to never win a championship.
When word broke that Jerry Sloan passed away at the age of 78, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. I didn’t know Sloan personally, nor did I grow up much of a Jazz fan. I rooted for them in the NBA Finals twice. I enjoyed the way the Jazz played and couldn’t help but root for them against Michael Jordan, who continuously terrorized the league for what felt like a decade.
Without even knowing, and perhaps somewhat inadvertently, Jerry Sloan shaped my childhood and basketball fandom.
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Jerry Sloan should be remembered as one of the best coaches in NBA history, and the Utah Jazz likely isn’t the franchise they are today without his influence.