Jerry sloan bio

Jerry Sloan was on the NBA scene for more than 50 years as a player, scout, coach and advisor, demonstrating how toughness, hustle and grit can be as important when competing at basketball’s highest level as your vertical leap or a sweet jump shot.

With the Hall of Fame coach – best known as the Utah Jazz’s bench constant for 23 years – passing away on May 22, 2020 after fighting Parkinson’s disease and dementia for several years, here are 10 things to know about Sloan:

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Staying power: Baseball, football and hockey had had ‘em, but the NBA among the four major North American sports leagues never had a coach spend 20 consecutive seasons with the same team – until Jerry Sloan got there in 2007-08. Sloan took the Utah Jazz baton from boss Frank Layden in December 1988 and held on until February 2011. In the process, he became the first coach to win 1,000 games with one team (San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich has since matched Sloan’s longevi