CLEVELAND — Former Utah Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan is a co-recipient of the 2016 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was honored Wednesday during halftime of Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland.
Sloan will share the award with Boston coach K.C. Jones, according to a press release from the Utah Jazz. The announcement was made by the National Basketball Coaches Association on Wednesday.
“It is a special treat for me to be attending Game 3 of this exciting NBA Finals and to accept the 2016 NBA Coaches Association Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, along with a fine gentleman and outstanding coach, K.C. Jones,” Sloan stated in the press release. “Like Coach Daly, I loved coaching and did my best to approach the job with professionalism, the concept of team effort and always playing hard. I thank my fellow coaches and all of my friends from the bottom of my heart for this special honor.”
The award honors the memory of Hall of Famer Chuck Daly, and according to the press release he, “set a standard of integrity, competitive excellence and tireless promotion of NBA basketball” during his career.
“Jerry Sloan is a coaching icon because of his longevity, adaptability and creativity,” said Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, who is also President of the National Basketball Coaches Association. “Jerry’s run of 23 years in Utah is the longest in NBA history and a testament to his competitive greatness. K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan embody what the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is all about.”
The press release states Sloan guided Utah to 19 playoff appearances and two NBA finals during his 23 seasons with the team. The Jazz earned seven division titles and had 16 consecutive winning seasons (from 1988 to 2004) during Sloan’s time as head coach. Sloan is among nine NBA coaches who have surpassed 1,000 victories and one of only two coaches to have won 1,000 games with a single franchise. Sloan notched 1,223 regular season and playoff wins with Utah.
Sloan joined the Jazz during the 83-84 season after leaving his position as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, a job he held from 1979-1982. Sloan played for 11 years in the NBA, splitting his time between Baltimore and Chicago. He was twice-selected as an NBA All-Star.
