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Utah Jazz: Jerry Sloan Makes Kenyon Martin’s Hate List, But It’s a Good Thing

By Ryan Aston

Mar 22, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan talks with the media as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the franchiseÕs first Western Conference Championship prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan talks with the media as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the franchiseÕs first Western Conference Championship prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former All-Star Kenyon Martin gives former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan some props in a list of hated/irritating NBA people. Seriously.

During his playing days, Kenyon Martin had a reputation. Some would say hard-nosed, some would call him a scrapper or a tough guy, but a lot of people might also say that he was an irritant, a loose cannon or a straight-up dirty player.

In a recent piece for The Players Tribune, Martin called it “most extra.” To him, the kind of things one would do to warrant such a reputation were always done in the name of winning. Basketball is war, and the most extra are going to do whatever it takes to win that war.

According to Martin, former Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan is one of those most extra.

In the column, Martin ranked the top five NBA people he (and everyone else) hated to play against. But despite the negative connotation, the former All-Star is really doling out props here.

Says Martin: “I got respect for all the guys on this list — even Ron [Artest] — because they knew what you had to do to win. I respected anyone who knew that was the way it had to be.”

Making the list were Reggie Evans, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Metta World Peace and, finally, Coach Sloan.

In his piece about Sloan, K-Mart recounted an incident he had with Karl Malone as a young player. Martin had hit the Mailman and sent him shooting down hard to the floor. He was expecting the Mailman to retaliate, but instead it was Sloan that rose to the challenge —

"Jerry Sloan ran down the sideline, screaming, “What the hell? I’m going to kick your ass!” I was so surprised. I was like, “Whoa! Sit your old ass down before I hit you too!” We got into it and they had to separate us. That was when I realized that Jerry Sloan was a tough dude."

Apparently, the confrontation left an impression on Sloan as well. Years later, when Martin was a free agent, Sloan offered his own invitation for Martin to come to Utah, reigniting those old flames —

"Years later, he was still coaching the Jazz and I was a free agent. They wanted to get me. He told my agent that story: Remember when Kenyon said he’d kick my ass? Now’s his chance."

More from The J-Notes

This is a most hated list we’re talking about, but clearly K-Mart has a lot of love for Jerry Sloan.

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