TORONTO-Sunday, prior to tipoff of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, former Utah Jazz head coach Frank Layden was honored as the recipient of the 2019 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.
This is annually given to a longtime NBA coach for his “standard of integrity, competitive excellence and tireless promotion of the game.”
The 87-year-old Layden is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. and he is well-renowned for his colorful personality.
He served as either the head coach or general manager of the Jazz from 1979-1999.
Layden was responsible for drafting future Basketball Hall of Famers in point guard John Stockton and power forward Karl Malone.
As the head coach of the Jazz (1981-1989), Layden posted a record of 277-294 (.485) but was named as the NBA Coach of the Year in 1984, leading the Jazz to a 45-37 (.549) record. In his general manager role, he helped lead Utah to an NBA Finals appearance in the 1996-97 season.
He then coached the WNBA’s Utah Starzz in 1998 and 1999, while concurrently serving as the president of the Jazz at this same time.
Additionally, Layden was the 1984 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and the NBA’s Executive of the year that season.
Layden is also a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
Former Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan was the recipient of this award in 2016.
