Sloan Named One Of NBA 15 All-Time Greatest Coaches
Feb 8, 2022, 6:09 PM | Updated: 6:13 pm
Former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has his banner unveiled in his honor during halftime of a Utah Jazz game in Salt Lake City Friday, Jan. 31, 2014. (Courtesy of Deseret News)
(Courtesy of Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former Utah Jazz legend and basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history on Tuesday.
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the league’s existence, the NBA recognized the top 15 coaches over the league’s illustrious run.
Sloan was the head coach of the Jazz between 1998-2011.
The NBA today unveiled the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History as part of the continuing celebration of the league’s 75th Anniversary Season. The list was selected by a panel of 43 current & former NBA head coaches in collaboration with the National Basketball Coaches Association. pic.twitter.com/TDBxFqPma5
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 9, 2022
Sloan is joined on the NBA’s greatest coaches list by Red Auerbach, Chuck Daly, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, Larry Brown, Red Holzman, K.C. Jones, Don Nelson, Jack Ramsay, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, and Erik Spoelstra.
The league first released its top 10 coaches in 1996 during the NBA’s 50th anniversary in a list that included Auerbach, Daly, Jackson, Riley, Nelson, Wilkens, Ramsay, Holzman, John Kundla, and Bill Fitch.
Kundla and Fitch were dropped by the league ahead of the top 15 list in place of Brown, Jones, Kerr, Popovich, Rivers, Spoelstra, and Sloan. Of the list, only Nelson and Sloan never won championships as coaches.
Sloan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 before retiring in 2011 with 1,223 career wins.
Currently, Sloan’s 1,223 wins are the fourth-most in NBA history behind Nelson, Wilkins, and Popovich.
Coach Sloan: One of the all-time greats gets recognized as a top-15 coach in the history of the league 💚#NBA75 | #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/ARydQpAT8k
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 9, 2022
On January 31, 2014, the Jazz honored Jerry Sloan by raising a 1,223 banner to mark his wins as a head coach.
Sloan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia in April 2016, the Jazz legend passed away at the age of 78 on Friday, May 22.
Jerry Sloan’s Career Accomplishments
- 2009 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
- 1223 wins (fourth-most in NBA history)
- Sixth best winning percentage all-time (.603)
- Two NBA Finals appearances (1997, 1998)
- Seven division titles
- 20 postseason appearances (19 with the Jazz)
- 98 playoff victories (sixth all-time)
- 13 seasons of 50+ wins
- 1809 consecutive games with the Jazz
- First NBA coach to win 1,000 games with one franchise
- Coached 133 players with the Jazz
- 245 head coaching changes in the NBA while he remained Utah’s head coach for 23 years
