When the Utah Jazz resume play in Orlando on Thursday with a scrimmage against the Phoenix Suns, their warmups and jerseys will feature a new addition: a patch honoring the legacy of late coach Jerry Sloan.
Sloan died May 22 from the effects of Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. He was 78.
The patch will simply feature the number “1223″ in recognition of the 1,223 combined regular-season and playoff wins Sloan accumulated as the Jazz’s head coach between Dec. 9, 1988 and Feb. 10, 2011. It will be on the team’s warm-ups and jerseys for the remainder of the 2019-20 season and playoffs.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Jerry Sloan won his 1,000th game as coach of the Jazz on Nov. 7, 2008.
Jazz jerseys for the 2020-21 season will feature a commemorative black strip with the same “1223” design.
Fans can also purchase a commemorative version of the patch for $12.23, with proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. The patch can be purchased at the physical Utah Jazz Team Store located at Vivint Smart Home Arena, or online at www.jazzteamstore.com.
The team said that additional details on how the organization will further honor Sloan next season will be announced at a later date.
“Coach Jerry Sloan will forever be in the hearts of the Utah Jazz organization and fans everywhere, and we feel it is only fitting to honor him in this way,” Greg Miller, member of the NBA Board of Governors and Director of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, said in a statement. “His contributions to our Jazz family and communities are a defining part of our franchise history and we look forward to seeing 1,223 on the jerseys of our players in Orlando as a nod to his legacy.”
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