Jerry Sloan began his role as senior basketball adviser with the Utah Jazz in June of 2013, after having previously served the organization as either head coach, assistant coach or scout every year over a 28-season span stretching from 1984-2011. A veteran of the NBA as a player and coach for more than 45 years, Sloan spent 23 seasons as the head coach of the Jazz (12/9/88-2/10/11), finishing with the third most wins all-time (1,221-803), sixth best winning percentage (.603) in NBA history (500-win minimum), two NBA Finals appearances (1997 and 1998) and seven division titles. He also guided the Jazz to 16 consecutive winning seasons and thirteen 50-win seasons. Sloan’s teams made 20 trips to the NBA Playoffs (19 w/ Utah: 1989-2003, ’07-10) and his 98 playoff wins are the sixth most in NBA history. His span with the Jazz is the longest tenure of any coach in NBA history. On September 11, 2009, Sloan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
But a winning history isn’t the only thing that Sloan took with him when he left the NBA. While he was still coaching the Jazz, he had his hearing tested and found out that he was suffering from hearing loss. However, he didn’t feel like he needed a hearing aid, so he didn’t do anything.
“I waited to get a hearing aid because I didn’t feel like I needed one,” says Sloan. “I felt like I would be admitting I was weak if I got a hearing aid. Plus, I didn’t feel like it was all that bad. I didn’t realize that my hearing loss didn’t just affect me. I was affected, yes, but the people I loved, my wife, kids, and grandkids, were the ones that were really being affected.”
4 years later, after his career with the Jazz had ended, Sloan’s wife Tammy, convinced him that it was time to get a hearing aid. He was fitted with a hearing aid, but didn’t like to wear them.
“They were extremely uncomfortable,” Sloan says. “I didn’t like to wear them. The sound always seemed unbalanced, and they never fit quite right. Since they didn’t really seem to help my hearing and since they were extremely uncomfortable, I just didn’t’ like to wear them.”
A few months later, Sloan, again at the urging of his wife, visited My Hearing Centers.
“It was a totally different experience. Everyone I worked with was extremely kind. They tested my hearing and discovered that my previous hearing aids were plugging up my ear and actually making my hearing loss worse. My new hearing aids are tuned specifically for the type of hearing loss that I have. Plus, they are much more comfortable, so I hardly notice I’m even wearing them. Plus, they are nearly invisible, which my wife appreciates.”
“My life is so much better now that I have hearing aids. I didn’t notice how much my hearing loss was affecting me and my loved ones. I’m able to be involved in conversations now, and I feel so much more involved. Life without hearing aids is like trying to play basketball with a deflated ball. Good luck!”
“Hearing aids made a huge difference in my life. I did it, you can do it, too. It’s time.”