Former Chicago Bulls All-Star and Hall of Fame head coach Jerry Sloan has passed away at age 78, it was announced today. Since 2016, Sloan had been battling Parkinson's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
One of the NBA's original tough guys, Sloan was the 4th overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft out of the University of Evansville by the Baltimore Bullets. He played there for one season before spending the rest of his career with the Bulls before retiring in 1976. In his first season in Chicago, he was named to the All-Star team, averaging 17.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He was again an All-Star in 1969, when he averaged 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Along with Norm Van Lier, he led the Bulls to two straight Western Conference Finals in 1974 and 1975. From 1970-1975, the Bulls made six straight playoff appearances. For his playing career, Sloan averaged 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Sloan started his coaching career in 1977 as an assistant with the Bulls, and became assistant coach of the Jazz in 1985. He became their head coach in 1988, holding that position for 23 seasons, through the 2010-2011 season. Most notably, the Jazz made two straight NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998, losing to the Bulls in six games both times. He coached 18 full winning seasons in Utah, and also led them to a 37-13 record in the lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season. In his first year coaching, he led the Jazz to a 40-25 record in 65 games. Sloan is fourth all-time in coaching victories, with 1,221, and his record mark of 23 straight seasons coaching the same team was broken just this past October by Gregg Popovich. Aside from the Finals' berths, he also coached the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals in 1992, 1994, 1996, and 2007.
The Bulls retired his jersey number 4 in 1978, and, in 2009, Sloan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, while still the head coach of the Jazz.
Rest In Peace to one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.
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