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Remembering Jerry Sloan - The Bulls Legendary Number 4

Originally posted on FanNation All Bulls
By Stephen Beslic | Last updated 11/19/23

When you think of Bulls legends, some pretty recognizable names come to mind. Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, or any other player who contributed during the dynasties of the 90s. However, before all of them, only one player had his number retired by the storied franchise, Jerry Sloan.

Bulls expansion draft pick

Born and raised in Illinois, Sloan stayed close to home for his schooling, going so far as Indiana for university, where he attended Evansville. There, he was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) player of the year twice, while earning 3 first-team All-ICC honors. In 1965 he was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets, where he remained for only one season.

The following year, the Chicago Bulls entered the NBA as an expansion team, who selected Sloan in the expansion draft. Jerry would come to be known as "The Original Bull" as he was the one who would lead the team to their first and only division title until Michael Jordan came around.

The Original Bull

Much like the Bulls legends who would follow Sloan, he was a fantastic two-way guard. In his ten-year tenure with Chicago, he went on a 6 year stretch of being on NBA All-Defensive, 4 First-Team, and two Second-Team, from 1969-1975.

A two-time All-Star, Sloan averaged 14.7 points per game in his Chicago career, along with 7.7 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game, and 2.2 steals per game. He also averaged over 15 points per game in 4 separate seasons, averaging 18.3 points per game in the 1970-71 season.

Sloan to this day is the only Chicago Bull ever to wear the number 4, as it was retired just two years after he retired. Following his jersey retirement in 1978, Sloan joined the Wind City coaching staff, where he spent 1 year as the assistant before becoming head coach from 1979-1982.

After Chicago, Jerry Sloan went on to coach the Utah Jazz, where he eventually became one of the winningest coaches ever, including two finals appearances against his former team. However, fans will wonder what could’ve been had Sloan stayed with them, as just two short years after leaving the head coaching job in Wind City, the Bulls drafted the most famous player to have his number retired by the team, Michael Jordan.

Chicago was well off anyway, winning 6 titles in those years, but it would've been a cool story to have "The Original Bull" coaching the greatest Bull of All Time.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Bulls and was syndicated with permission.

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