The Utah Jazz family received some sad news yesterday when it was announced that former head coach Frank Layden had passed away at the age of 93. Many paid their respects to the Jazz legend, including NBA icon Magic Johnson, who went out of his way to share a touching message on Layden's passing.
Johnson wrote the following about the former Jazz coach following the news about his death.
"I am sorry to hear about the passing of Coach Frank Layden who coached the Utah Jazz from 1981-1989. Coach Layden made Utah one of the toughest teams for my Lakers to play against because of his brilliant strategies on offense and defense. Most people don’t know he also had an awesome sense of humor. I will be praying for the Layden family during this difficult time," Johnson wrote with a prayer emoji.
I am sorry to hear about the passing of Coach Frank Layden who coached the Utah Jazz from 1981-1989. Coach Layden made Utah one of the toughest teams for my Lakers to play against because of his brilliant strategies on offense and defense. Most people don’t know he also had an…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 10, 2025
For the record, Johnson and his Lakers teams faced the Jazz only once throughout his career, but it was one of the ages. In what turned out to be Johnson's last title with the Lakers, the Jazz pushed the Showtime Lakers to seven games in one of the most intense playoff series the Jazz has ever seen in franchise history in 1988.
This would turn out to be Layden's last playoff series as Utah's head coach, as he took a step back from coaching early the following season. That led to Jerry Sloan becoming Layden's replacement, and the rest was history from there for Utah.
Layden laid the foundation for the Jazz's extensive success
Layden basically helped usher in the most successful era of basketball the Jazz have ever seen and have yet to replicate. While he was the first coach for John Stockton and Karl Malone, he was also the Jazz's general manager during that exact time too. He was the one who decided Utah should draft both Stockton and Malone in their respective drafts, which paved the way for their dominance.
In 1984, Layden won Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. Not only is he the only man in NBA history to take home both awards in the same year, but he's also the only one to win both period. Utah may have gone higher with Sloan and co. - and no one's taking anything away from him or Stockton or Malone - but none of what Jazz fans saw form the mid-1980s to the early 2000s would have been possible without Layden.
It's why he is among the Jazz's retired numbers, and it's why so many, including some of the NBA's biggest legends like Magic Johnson, were so quick to pay tribute to one of the best basketball minds ever associated with the Utah Jazz.