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Jerry Sloan and K.C. Jones have been named co-recipients of the 2016 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, which is sponsored by the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks, who is president of the organization, made the announcement Wednesday prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland.
"It is a privilege to present this important award to two people who represent the absolute best in integrity and coaching excellence," Carlisle said. "... Jerry Sloan is a coaching icon because of his longevity, adaptability and creativity."
According to Carlisle, Sloan's record-setting 23 seasons as head coach of the Utah Jazz — running from 1988 to 2011 — are "a testament to his competitive greatness."
Sloan and his wife, Tammy, traveled to Cleveland to accept the award.
"It's an honor to be part of it," Sloan said. "… I just thank my fellow coaches from the bottom of my heart. This is a very special honor."
In April, Sloan announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and a form of dementia. He has stayed busy this summer, however, with family activities centered around the high-school graduation of some grandchildren.
"I'm doing fine — pretty much the same," Sloan said. "Up and down a little bit."
A native of McLeansboro, Ill., Sloan's career started at Evansville, where he led the Purples Aces to a pair of Division II national championships.
He played 11 seasons in the NBA, including 10 with Chicago. As the heart and soul of the one-time expansion team, Sloan became known for his fierce competitiveness, tenacious defense and no-nonsense approach to the game.
After retiring as a player, Sloan was hired as head coach of the Bulls. After being fired, he scouted for the Jazz before being named an assistant coach by Frank Layden in 1984. Four years later, Layden resigned and Sloan replaced him.
The rest is history. In Utah, Sloan guided the Jazz to 19 playoff appearances, 16 consecutive winning seasons and five trips to the Western Conference finals in a span of seven seasons (1992-98). The Jazz reached the NBA Finals twice, losing to Chicago in 1997 and 1998.
Sloan, who resigned midway through the 2010-11 season, is the third-winningest coach in league history (1,221). He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jones, Sloan's co-recipient, played college basketball at San Francisco, where his teams won two national championships. He was a member of the United States' gold medal-winning team at the 1956 Olympics before joining the Boston Celtics.
As a player in the NBA, Jones helped Boston win eight championships. He also won two as head coach and one as an assistant with the Celtics.
Jones, who owns a record of 522-252 as an NBA head coach, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
Sloan called Jones "… a fine gentleman and outstanding coach. I know, when I was a young player, he knocked my head off a few times."
Said Carlisle, "K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan embody what the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is all about."
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About the honor
• Former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is the co-recipient of the 2016 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Sloan shares the award with K.C. Jones, who's known primarily as a player and coach with the Boston Celtics.
• The Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is sponsored by Sloan's peers in the NBA Coaches Association.