LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: the Utah Jazz the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 29, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The Jazz won 103-85. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz great and the third-winningest head coach in NBA history, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, coach told reporters Wednesday.
Slone, 74, made the announcement during an interview at his home in Riverton, Utah. Sloan said he was diagnosed with the illnesses last fall.
He decided to go public because the Parkinson’s symptoms, which include tremors, a hushed voice and sleeplessness, have progressed to the point where people have started to notice. “I don’t want people feeling sorry for me,” said Sloan, who continues to walk four miles a day. According to MayoClinic.com, Parkinson’s disease is “a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while a tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson’s disease, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.” There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease although, in some cases, medication can “markedly improve symptoms.” But in Sloan’s case, the symptoms continue to progress. h/t sltrib
According to the former Chicago Bulls player, he is also dealing with Lewy body dementia, a neurological disorder that manifests itself in difficulty with memory, problem solving, planning and analytical thinking.
Sloan coached the Jazz from 1988-2011. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
RHODES, IA. (THECOUNT) -- Brandon Overman, 31, and Chandler Kendall, 27, were identified as the…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (THECOUNT) -- Josh Grisetti, 44, was identified as the Broadway star…
BOWIE COUNTY, TX. (THECOUNT) -- Dru Wilson, 23, of DeKalb, Texas, Joel Ellestad, 22, Payton…
WASHINGTON, DC. (THECOUNT) -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, 71, of South Carolina, died Saturday evening…
DARTMOUTH, Mass. (THECOUNT) -- Tristan Bedient, of Acushnet, Massachusetts, was identified as the driver killed…
HURON COUNTY, Ohio (THECOUNT) -- Scott Wilkes, of West Salem, Ohio, was identified as the…