Utah Jazz honor coach Jerry Sloan’s wins with “1223” jersey patch

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The Utah Jazz will pay tribute to one of the greatest coaches in NBA history when they hit the court for the 2019-20 restart at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Jazz players will be sporting a “1223” black tribute patch in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan, who passed away at age 78 on May 22 from complications from Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The number signifies his total victories as a head coach in Utah and will be worn starting with the Jazz’s first scrimmage this Thursday against Phoenix.

Jerseys will also showcase Sloan’s special black strip during the 2020-21 campaign, where the franchise will continue to honor him in some capacity.

“It’s a big loss for our community and the basketball world but his legacy lives on forever,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert told ESPN in May. “Always loved our conversations, I could feel that he had that competitiveness and love for the game. I remember him sitting there and watching pretty much every practice years after he was retired. I also know that he really respected hard work, more than anything, and I could sense that he really respected and loved players that have that mindset since the first day I spoke with him.”

Sloan, a former Chicago Bulls player, coached the Jazz for 23 years (1988-2011) and led Utah to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. Sloan and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich are the only coaches in NBA history to win at least 1,000 games with one team, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“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,” said Jazz governor Greg Miller in a statement Tuesday. “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.”





Source : ESPN