There have been 223 coaching changes in the NBA since Jerry Sloan was promoted from an assistant to the head coach of the Utah Jazz on Dec. 9, 1988.
Tonight, 20 years later, Sloan is still at Utah. He has been with the Jazz longer than any other current coach has been with his respective team in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball.
“That’s crazy. That’s a testament to him to be around that long,” said forward Carlos Boozer, who had just turned 7 when Sloan was promoted. “We’re all proud to be a part of it, but that’s all Jerry Sloan.”
Tonight, Utah plays at Minnesota, which will be playing its first game under Kevin McHale, who is replacing Randy Wittman after he was fired Monday.
Longtime leaders
Current longest-tenured coaches in major pro sports for the same team:
NFL: Jeff Fisher, Tennessee, 1994-2008 (227 games; 1 Super Bowl loss) Mike Shanahan, Denver, 1995-2008 (221 games; 2 Super Bowl wins)
NHL: Lindy Ruff, Buffalo, 1997-2008 (821 games; 1 Stanley Cup Finals loss)
Baseball: Bobby Cox, Atlanta, 1990-2008 (2,946 games; 5 World Series, 1 title)
