Overview

• Layden’s passing on July 9 was confirmed by The Salt Lake Tribune, marking the end of a seven-decade career in professional basketball.
• As general manager and head coach, he transformed the struggling Jazz into a Midwest Division champion in 1984, earning both NBA Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors.
• He selected future Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone in back-to-back drafts, establishing the core for a 20-year playoff streak.
• In 1989, Layden handed the coaching reins to his assistant Jerry Sloan and later led the WNBA’s Utah Starzz before resigning early in the 1999 season.
• Former players, coaches and community leaders praised his humor, authenticity and enduring impact on Utah’s basketball culture.