Former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia last fall — but don't say he's suffering from his ailments.
"I don't want people feeling sorry for me," the Hall of Fame coach told the Salt Lake Tribune.
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Sloan, who is 74 and still walks four miles a day, opened up about his diagnosis after his Parkinson's symptoms — tremors, a hushed voice and sleeplessness — became noticeable.
Parkinson's progressively attacks the nervous system and affects movement. Lewy body dementia is a degenerative disease that causes a progressive decline in mental abilities, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Sloan led the Jazz from 1988-2011, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. The third-winningest coach in NBA history, Sloan retired with a record of 1,221-803 overall and 1,127-682 with the Jazz. In 26 seasons as an NBA coach, he took his teams to the playoffs 20 times and led the Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.