(Tribune file photo) Nicknamed "The Original Bull," Jerry Sloan, pictured here in 1975, was in Chicago during the franchise's first 10 years. His grit and toughness made him one of the league's best defensive players and is one of only 18 players in history to be named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team four times. He averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists during his 11 season. Sloan is now one of the league's most respected coaches, having led the Utah Jazz to two NBA title games.
(Chicago Tribune) Jerry Sloan, 4, pulling down a rebound amidst a herd of bulls. April 14, 1973.
(Beth A. Keiser | AP Photo) Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan tries to calm his team down in the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls Sunday, June 1, 1997, in Chicago. The Jazz lost to the Bulls 84-82.
(Hector Amezcua | The Sacramento Bee via AP) Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, left, is escorted off the court by assistant coach Phil Johnson and John Stockton, right, as DeShawn Johnson, middle, watches the commotion Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003, in Sacramento, Calif. Sloan was ejected for shoving official Courtney Kirkland in the first quarter after arguing that Kings guard Doug Christie stepped out of bounds on the sideline right near where Kirkland was standing. Sloan got down and put his hand to the spot where he thought Christie stepped out.Sloan then shoved Kirkland and was immediately ejected.
(Tribune file photo) Former Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan hugs Jazz owner Gail Miller after announcing his resignation as head coach in 2011.
(Leah Hogsten | Tribune file photo) Phil Johnson and Jerry Sloan show their emotions during their resignation speeches. Jerry Sloan resigned as coach of the Jazz on Thursday, February 10, 2011, in Salt Lake City, bringing to a stunning end a long career in Utah that included most of his 1,221 career coaching victories and induction into the basketball hall of fame.Longtime assistant coach Phil Johnson also resigned. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will be named interim head coach. The announcement was given at a press conference at 3 p.m. at the team's practice facility.
(Leah Hogsten | Tribune file photo) Jazz owner Gail Miller and Jazz General Manager Kevin O'Connor. Jerry Sloan resigned as coach of the Jazz on Thursday, February 10, 2011, in Salt Lake City, bringing to a stunning end a long career in Utah that included most of his 1,221 career coaching victories and induction into the basketball hall of fame.Longtime assistant coach Phil Johnson also resigned. Former assistant coach Tyrone Corbin is now the head coach. The announcement was given at a press conference at 3 p.m. at the team's practice facility.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he relays a few stories alongside his wife Tammy at their home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, 76, and his wife Tammy talk sports over the paper at their home in Riverton before tonight's game 6 of the playoffs against Oklahoma City which they plan to attend on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's office paints a picture of his long history with the Utah Jazz as the legendary coach talks ball, the current team and his joy in attending games during a visit to his home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he relays a few stories alongside his wife Tammy at their home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he relays a few stories at his home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, 76, and his wife Tammy talk sports over the paper at their home in Riverton before tonight's game 6 of the playoffs against Oklahoma City which they plan to attend on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's office paints a picture of his long history with the Utah Jazz as the legendary coach talks ball, the current team and his joy in attending games during a visit to his home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he recalls a few stories alongside his wife Tammy at their home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A history with the Utah Jazz fills legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's office at his home in Riverton where his wife Tammy joins him to talk about his joy for attending games despite his illness which is progressing, on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he relays a few stories alongside his wife Tammy at their home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he relays a few stories at his home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Legendary Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's illness is progressing, but the 76-year-old still gets joy from attending Jazz games as he relays a few stories at his home in Riverton on Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan watched the fourth quarter from his seats behind the Jazz bench.
The Utah Jazz defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-91 to win the first round playoff series, Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan watches first quarter play as the Thunder led the Jazz 22-18 at the end of the 1st quarter during Game 6 of the first round playoff game, Friday, April 27, 2018.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz alumni Mark Eaton and coach Jerry Sloan get ready to take in a game as the University of Utah hosts UCLA in NCAA basketball at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune
l-r Phil Johnson, Jerry Sloan show their emotions during their resignation speeches. Jerry Sloan resigned as coach of the Jazz on Thursday, February 10, 2011, in Salt Lake City, bringing to a stunning end a long career in Utah that included most of his 1,221 career coaching victories and induction into the basketball hall of fame.Longtime assistant coach Phil Johnson also resigned. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will be named interim head coach. The announcement was given at a press conference at 3 p.m. at the team's practice facility.
Tribune file photo
Jerry Sloan yells support form the bench in his first quarter as head coach of the Utah Jazz in 1988.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan does a pre-game interview with Rod Hundley, Tuesday April 21, 2009 at the Staples Center.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Houston, UT--4/21/07--9:33:08 PM--.Utah coach Jerry Sloan during the 4th quarter of the game in the first-round playoff series..Houston won 84-75...**********. Jazz's first-round playoff series against his Houston Rockets ...Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune.File #_2CD5297....`.
Scott Sommerdorf l The Salt Lake Tribune
Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan watches his team during a public scrimmage at Energy Solutions Arena, Saturday October 2, 2010.
Photo by Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune.Rod Hundley talks with Jerry Sloan inside of the newly dedicated "Hot Rod Hundley Media Center" at the EnergySolutions Arena Friday, January 29, 2010. Hundley worked for 35 years as the broadcast voice for the Utah Jazz.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune .Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan before the game at Energy Solutions Arena Friday October 22, 2010.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Houston, UT--4/23/07--9:25:06 PM--..Utah's Jerry Sloan during the game at the Toyota Center. .Houston Won 98-90.**********. Jazz's first-round playoff series against his Houston Rockets ...Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune.File #_C4K0293....`.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah Jazz's Jerry Sloan talks to members of the media at the Zions Bank Basketball Center Tuesday, April 27, 2010.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, Ut --12/9/2005--7:56:05 PM.Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan during the game..Seattle Sonics vs Utah Jazz at the Delta Center First half...Photo by: Chris Detrick/The Salt Lake Tribune.File #_1CD9995
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake TribuneHouston, UT--4/23/07--9:27:49 PM--..Utah's Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan walk off of the court after the game at the Toyota Center. .Houston Won 98-90.**********. Jazz's first-round playoff series against his Houston Rockets ...Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune.File #_C4K0327....`.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Houston, UT--4/21/07--10:00:30 PM--.Utah coach Jerry Sloan during the 4th quarter of the game in the first-round playoff series..Houston won 84-75...**********. Jazz's first-round playoff series against his Houston Rockets ...Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune.File #_1CD5795....`.
(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, owner Larry H. Miller and Jazz Vice President of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor discuss their options in the final moments of the 2006 NBA draft.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune .Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan before the game at Energy Solutions Arena Friday October 22, 2010.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Houston, UT--4/23/07--10:14:49 PM--..Utah's Jerry Sloan during the game at the Toyota Center. .Houston Won 98-90.**********. Jazz's first-round playoff series against his Houston Rockets ...Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune.File #_1CD6693....`.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, UT --12/29/07--.Utah's Jerry Sloan during the second half of the game. The Celtics won 104-98...*******************.Jazz v Celtics..Photo by Chris Detrick/The Salt Lake Tribune.frame #_1CD7241.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Jerry Sloan watches the Jazz play the Orlando Magic, in Salt Lake City, Saturday, April 21, 2012.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City,Utah--6/23/2005- .Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan talks with the media after a practice Thursday morning.
| Tribune File Photo
Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan expresses himself to the officials. Jazz beat the Heat 101-110 in action at the Energy Solutions Arena Monday December 3, 2007.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Jazz great Karl Malone hugs his former coach Jerry Sloan after he spoke to the crowd and told Sloan how much he loved him, during halftime as the Jazz hosted the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Steve Miller hands Jerry Sloan a commemorative jersey with noting his total NBA victories as he was honored during halftime as the Jazz hosted the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.
Tribune file photo
Jerry Sloan, left, and John Stockton applaud Michael Jordan during the Hall of Fame press conference in 2009. Sloan and Stockton were inducted.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Jerry Sloan coaches Carlos Boozer during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Houston, UT--4/30/07--8:23:01 PM--..Utah's Jerry Sloan during the game at the Toyota Center. .Houston won 96-92...**********. Jazz's first-round playoff series against his Houston Rockets ..Game #5..Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune.File #_1CD8071....`.
| Tribune File Photo
Jerry and Bobbye Sloan in 1989.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune
Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams, right. The Utah Jazz introduced draft picks C.J. Miles, Kevin O'Connor and Deron Williams at news conferences Wednesday June 20, 2005, at the Delta Center.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune
As the Utah Jazz celebrate the 1997 Utah Jazz team John Stockton, Jerry Sloan and Gail Miller walk into a press conference at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Wednesday March 22, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune
As the Utah Jazz celebrate the 1997 Utah Jazz team Jerry Sloan, Gail Miller and John Stockton talk about their memories of the historic season during press conference at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Wednesday March 22, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune
As the Utah Jazz celebrate the 1997 Utah Jazz team Jerry Sloan walks into a press conference at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Wednesday March 22, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune
As the Utah Jazz celebrate the 1997 Utah Jazz team John Stockton, Gail Miller and Jerry Sloan talk about their memories of the historic season during press conference at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Wednesday March 22, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune
As the Utah Jazz celebrate the 1997 Utah Jazz team Jerry Sloan, Gail Miller and John Stockton talk about their memories of the historic season during press conference at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Wednesday March 22, 2017.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, center, cracks a big smile as he and other former players including John Stockton, right, had a reunion at the Jazz practice facility, Wednesday, March 22 2017.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Jazz great John Stockton, center, listens as Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, left, jokes with Stockton and Phil Jackson, right, as Jazz players from the 1997 team had a reunion at the Jazz practice facility, Wednesday, March 22 2017.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Jazz head coach Jerry sloan hugs former Jazz player Antoine Carr as Jazz players from the 1997 team, Wednesday, March 22 2017.
Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan and NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton chat during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
John Stockton, left, and Karl Malone, right, laugh during a press conference to honor former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan as Sloan relates a story about their time together with the Jazz. Jazz Owner / CEO Greg Miller also spoke, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Tyrone Corbin, left, head coach of the Utah Jazz speaks with former coach Jerry Sloan during Media Day at the Zions Bank Basketball Center in Salt Lake on Monday, Sept. 30, 2013.
(Scott Sommerdorf | Tribune file photo) John Stockton, left, and Karl Malone, right, laugh during a Friday, Jan. 31, 2014 press conference to honor former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan as Sloan relates a story about their time together with the Jazz.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Jazz great Karl Malone, right cracks up as former Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan tells a story about their time together at a press conference to honor coach Sloan. Former Jazz greats Karl Malone and John Stockton as well as Jazz CEO Greg Miller spoke, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan takes in the crowd's applause as he is honored at halftime of the Utah Jazz vs Golden State Warriors game, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan and assistant coach Phil Johnson (far left) listen as they are applauded In the Utah House of Representatives, Monday, March 7, 2011. The two former coaches were accompanied by Gail Miller, wife of former Jazz owner Larry Miller (right).
Before each game, Shawn Brown and his staff go over the list of VIPs and scan the crowd for people to highlight on the 24-foot-tall video board that hangs over the court at Vivint Smart Home Arena. It doesn’t matter who shows up, though. After four years of directing the Utah Jazz’s in-game video operations from the scorer’s table, Brown knows the man in Row 11 will get the loudest cheer.
“The reaction for him is bigger than any celebrity,” Brown says. “Everybody loves him.”
The crowd of 18,000-plus will erupt, maybe even stand in ovation. Tammy Sloan will tap her husband lightly. This, predictably, is his least favorite moment of the best part of his day.
“I always try to avoid that as much as possible,” Jerry Sloan says. “That’s not who I am, and that’s not what I’m about. I just love the great game of basketball. I’ve been involved with it my whole life. I enjoy that. I still enjoy the game.”
Friday morning started with a visit to, at least by Tammy Sloan’s estimation, the only man in Utah who hasn’t been following the Jazz’s first-round playoff series: her husband’s doctor. It has been just more than two years since Jerry Sloan revealed to the world that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia, diseases that have begun to strip the mind and motor skills of one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.
There are good days. More and more, there are bad ones because that’s how diseases so cruel work.
On this day, however, the 76-year-old Sloan feels well enough to have a stranger in his immaculate home on the southwest side of the Salt Lake Valley, to sit and answer a reporter’s questions.
“He’s going to pick your brain,” his wife says.
“It won’t take him long,” the coach deadpans.
Jerry Sloan is still a towering figure, standing 6 feet, 5 inches tall, dressed in a blue Jazz sweatshirt with the team’s blue and purple mountain logo from 2004-10, blue pants and white Adidas sneakers. He is no longer as imposing as he once was when he was the fiery leader of the Jazz. He moves a little more slowly and his eyes have softened. He takes a seat in the corner of his office and places his massive hand on his knee. It immediately starts to shake.
“I feel OK,” he says, and he speaks matter-of-factly about his condition. “I’ve got a disease. It’s really kind of strange because my mind changes and then I can’t remember. That throws me off a little bit.”
The symptoms of his Lewy body dementia have been “kicking in more lately,” his wife says, so sometimes he loses his train of thought. Then the coach laughs to himself.
“My brain’s been misfiring my whole life,” he says.
Today, he has no problem talking, especially about basketball. Sloan says he respects what Jazz coach Quin Snyder has accomplished.
“He’s done a great job with the team,” Sloan says. “But you can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a jackass. You’ve got to have some thoroughbreds, and they’ve got some now.” The Hall of Fame coach calls the team’s star rookie, Donovan Mitchell, “refreshing.”
“I just hope they get a chance to win a championship,” Sloan says about the franchise. “They need it, and they deserve it as much as anybody that’s been involved in sports.”
Sloan sits under a glass case filled with memories, photographs and newspaper clippings of his 1,223 victories as the coach of the Utah Jazz. His team — the team he coached for 27 seasons and the team he roots for every game now — was coming off a bitter loss, having given up a 25-point lead two nights earlier to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sloan harks back to the time in 1997 when he rallied the Jazz from a 36-point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets.
Sometimes you get lucky, he says, and sometimes you don’t. More important is what happens next. That’s what the old coach wants to see when the ball is thrown up later that night.
“It’s interesting to see how guys bounce back,” Sloan says. “This time of year, it’s really exciting because you find out what you’re made of.”
There are still more than two hours until tipoff for Game 6 of the Jazz-Thunder playoff series when the Sloans, Tammy in a gold blouse and Jerry in a gold T-shirt to match the other 18,000 fans who that night will go on to cheer on the Jazz to a series-clinching win over Oklahoma City, walk through the back entrance of the basketball arena.
He right away is met by a number of Oklahoma City Thunder staffers who want to shake his hand and talk. He makes it another five feet before he is stopped again by two fans, Craig Benson and his 11-year-old son, Trent, who take a selfie with him.
“Thanks a million, coach,” Benson says. “I love seeing ya.”
Sloan is an icon, a reminder of the franchise’s glory days when they made back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals in the late ’90s, back when Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone pick-and-rolled opponents to death seemingly every night. On days when he is feeling well, Sloan will oblige every request for a photograph that he can. On other days, his health makes it an overwhelming endeavor. But even on the days when he struggles, he wants to be here, close to the action.
Sloan’s doctors recommend he remain active — physically and socially — to combat the effects of his dementia, so his wife keeps his calendar full. They go out most nights, often enjoying dinner with former Jazz coach Frank Layden and his wife, Barbara, or with former Jazz center Mark Eaton. Sloan and other longtime Jazz staffers meet for lunch on the first Tuesday of each month. And as often as they can, Jerry and Tammy Sloan will be at the arena.
“The games really are the highlight of his life right now,” Tammy Sloan says.
Jerry Sloan starts to get anxious as tipoff approaches. Before each game, he and Tammy spend an hour or so in the Jazz’s 100 Club, where top-end sponsors eat and mingle.
“We’re eating while the game’s getting ready to start. That’s our biggest problem,” Jerry says. “She’s got to visit a little bit longer.”
“We are never late!” his wife shoots back and laughs.
The old coach is committed to his routine. He wants to be in his seat — Section 8, Row 11, a respectful distance back from the bench he once patrolled — at least 15 minutes before the game begins. He wants to be ready for the national anthem. When the song begins, he wonders and worries what he should do with his shaking hand. Should he keep it over his heart? Or hide it down by his side? Sometimes when the shaking is too bad, his wife leans against him to steady his arm against his chest.
Game nights for Sloan can be a social affair, especially during the playoffs when former Jazz stars seem to pop up in Salt Lake City more often. Tom Chambers attended Game 6 on Friday night. Eaton, who lives in Utah, is a regular at the arena.
“It’s hard to watch [Sloan’s illness progress] because he was so tough and vibrant when he was coaching,” Eaton says. “But at the same time, we still have some great conversations. All you have to do is get him talking about players or plays from the past to get him going. That’s still there.”
Sloan sat last week with John Stockton, the Hall of Fame point guard, who remains one of Sloan’s closest friends. Stockton calls each week to check in on his coach’s health.
“He made more money than everybody else,” Sloan says. “We try to stay as close to him as possible.”
Stockton has been around more lately, watching his son, David, who signed with the Jazz in March. Sloan and his point guard are kindred spirits in so many ways, hard workers who eschewed the spotlight.
“Who could be lucky enough to coach a guy like John Stockton?” he wonders aloud.
When Stockton brought a box score with him to their seats, Sloan dismissively tossed it under his chair, saying he was never interested in stats. Sloan was more interested in spending some time with Stockton’s grandchild, David’s young son James.
“I learned a lot from Jerry about how to act,” says David Stockton, who grew up patiently waiting outside the Jazz locker room after games so he could grab a basketball and shoot on the court. “For me to be able to see him there watching is pretty cool.”
Ever since he first started coming back to games — still Coach, but no longer the coach — he has done the same thing from his seat. For a time, Tammy Sloan would be confused as she listened to her husband muttering. “I’d think he’d be talking to me,” she says. “But he’s talking to them.” To the players. He still is coaching.
“Get down the floor!” he says. “Pass the f---ing ball!”
And the Sloans will stay until the end. No matter what. No matter if he feels bad that day. No matter if the Jazz are getting blown out by 30 points. You stay until the end.
“Our coaches stayed in Orlando when everybody else had gone home from scouting,” Sloan says, “and we found a player by the name of Paul Millsap.”
The office in Sloan’s house, just off the front entrance, is a well-curated museum. On the wall next to his desk hangs a giant collage of Hall of Fame players. Memorabilia lines shelves that line the wall across from the desk. A photo of Sloan, Stockton and Karl Malone in black tuxedos. A copy of Barry Stainback’s “Basketball Stars of 1968.” A large black-and-white photo of Sloan crouching with three teammates during his playing days with the Chicago Bulls.
Sloan cannot remember the year or even the decade the photo was taken. “I can’t remember yesterday,” he says after a moment. But he remembers each man’s name. The man on the left, Sloan says and points, is Norm Van Lier. He tells a story about a time they got into a fistfight with each other before they became teammates, one of the toughest backcourts in the NBA, and close friends. He remembers his last visit with Van Lier before he died in 2009.
Now it is late in the afternoon, and Sloan is getting tired. He needs some rest before the game that night. He walks into his kitchen and his wife hands him a copy of the day’s sports section. He hopes the headline the next day will say something about a Jazz win. He starts to turn the page.
“But I’m prepared for anything,” he says. “Good or bad.”