2020 continues to just be the worst year. Basketball fans everywhere on Friday were mourning the loss of legendary Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan after news broke that he passed away.
Sloan Jazz died on Friday morning due to complications from Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia at the age of 78, according to a statement from the team.
The Hall of Fame coach ranks fourth all-time in wins with 1,221. He coached the Jazz to the playoffs in 20 seasons and won 98 playoff games total (the sixth-most all-time). In that span, the Jazz also took two trips to the NBA Finals, covered extensively in “The Last Dance.”
The team put out a statement mourning his loss.
Rest easy, Coach ❤️
» https://t.co/5eonFoUR61 pic.twitter.com/ynrk0JnO0V
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 22, 2020
“Jerry Sloan will always be synonymous with the Utah Jazz. He will forever be a part of the Utah Jazz organization and we join his family, friends and fans in mourning his loss. We are so thankful for what he accomplished here in Utah and the decades of dedication, loyalty and tenacity he brought to our franchise.”
Basketball players, media and fans everywhere also joined in via social media to remember Sloan’s Hall of Fame career in basketball.
Jerry Sloan was the oldest of old school coaches. Tough, blunt with players. It was a style that blended well with his most notable no-nonsense stars, Karl Malone and John Stockton.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 22, 2020
Oh man.😔 Jerry Sloan dealt with a lot on and off the court. He remains one of the best to ever coach. RIP. https://t.co/SrjMKJ99V0
— Steve Benko (@SteveBenko) May 22, 2020
I learned so much about basketball sitting at the bar with Jerry Sloan and his longtime assistant Phil Johnson. They were beyond patient with a young, dumb reporter. And Jerry never made excuses if his team lost-which wasn’t that often. RIP to a great, great coach. https://t.co/PaQLnMLn1j
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 22, 2020
#TheLastDance showed him losing to Chicago two years in a row. But never forget that among all the banners above the United Center, the first to go up was Jerry Sloan’s. Rest in Peace to the Original Mr. Bull. pic.twitter.com/gfrCGSkqQB
— Nikko Ramos (@NikkoRMS) May 22, 2020
Jerry Sloan is one of only two NBA coach to record 1,000 wins with the same franchise.
Sloan is one of only three coaches in NBA history to win at least 50 games in 10 or more seasons.
He led the Jazz to 15 consecutive playoff appearances from 1988 to 2003. https://t.co/zT7I9Noayd
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) May 22, 2020
Rip Jerry Sloan 🙏🏾🙏🏾
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) May 22, 2020
Sorry to hear about the passing of Jerry Sloan. Rest In Peace
— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) May 22, 2020
Rip Jerry Sloan 😰😥🙏🏾🌹
— Baron Davis (@BaronDavis) May 22, 2020
Jerry Sloan is a legend’s legend. Feeling lucky we got to watch that level of greatness for so long.
— Spencer Ryan Hall (@spencerhall) May 22, 2020
Some even had some pretty cool stories to share.
RIP JERRY SLOAN
2 x All-Star as a player & Hall of Fame coach who was willing to get in the face of any player including Kenyon Martin & Jerry Stackhouse!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 22, 2020
Just talked to Bob Love about Jerry Sloan: "Jerry was the ultimate teammate. Nothing scared him. Nothing was too hard for him. Nothing was too tough for him. Jerry was always on top of his everything. It's a sad day. My condolences to his family."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) May 22, 2020
we mentioned this in #bulldozed, but i don't think anything says more about jerry sloan than he was 6-5, 195 lbs and averaged 7.4 rebounds per game for his career. that's a tough sumbitch right there. https://t.co/wnahAlt8pO
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2020
Basketball will miss Sloan, but his legacy in the game will live on forever.