Following a tradition of selecting a current member of the Hall of Fame to do the presenting, Sloan asked Charles Barkley to do the induction introduction.
That might seem an odd choice, but Barkley had a fun rivalry with the Jazz during his career with the Sixers, Suns and Rockets and often speaks highly about the organization during his TNT analyst gig. Barkley, a 2006 Hall inductee, also played under Sloan during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, when the Utah coach was a Dream II assistant to Lenny Wilkens.
Sloan would not divulge his selection when asked by media members last week, saying that he had been asked to keep it under wraps. He did, however, act honored that his mystery person — who so happens to be the fun-loving and formidable Round Mound of Rebound — would accept his invitation.
"I did choose a guy for a lot of different reasons," Sloan said. "People ask why probably, I'm sure. I was really excited and shocked that he would accept, so it made me feel good."