Jerry Sloan

Head coach of the Utah Jazz hired by Larry H. Miller, who in Driven calls the hire “one of the best things we have done.” Sloan’s framing of the coach–owner relationship became a touchstone for Miller’s view of Delegation and trust: at the outset Sloan asked for only one thing — “if I get fired, let me get fired for my own decisions.” Miller says he always honored that, contrasting it with how management too often makes decisions that affect the team while the coach takes the fall. The anecdote anchors the book’s broader argument that an owner should give operators genuine authority over their own domain rather than second-guessing them.

Context: Jerry Sloan (1942–2020) coached the Utah Jazz from 1988 to 2011, leading the John Stockton–Karl Malone teams to two NBA Finals appearances and earning a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Where this appears

• Driven — cited as Miller’s best hire and the source of the “fire me for my own decisions” pact that exemplifies his delegation principle.