SALT LAKE CITY -- For such a milestone day in his life, Tyrone Corbin looked uneasy Thursday afternoon as he assumed the mantle of Utah Jazz head coach.
Corbin, 48, takes over for his former coach, Jerry Sloan, who abruptly resigned his post after more than 22 seasons and 1,221 career victories.
"It's bittersweet for me," he said. "I wish (Sloan) nothing but the best. I hope he'll be happy."
Corbin's first game as an NBA head coach will come tonight when the Jazz play host to the Phoenix Suns -- one of Corbin's former teams -- at EnergySolutions Arena.
Jazz officials were adamant, Corbin's title does not come with an "interim" designation.
"He's called coach, not 'interim,' " Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said.
"That's by design," Jazz CEO Greg Miller chimed in immediately after. "He's the head coach of the Utah Jazz."
Although Corbin looked uncomfortable as he watched Sloan and longtime assistant coach Phil Johnson bid farewell, Sloan and Johnson seemed proud of their friend and former player.
"We wish him nothing but great success," Sloan said. "He's a wonderful guy. In my opinion, they couldn't have picked a better guy. We love him to death. We loved him as a player."
Over the past few seasons, Corbin has drawn interest as a possible head coach with other franchises, including the Suns and the Bulls. But he has remained with the Jazz and is now in his seventh season on the bench.
Although Corbin had aspirations of becoming a head coach, what happened on Thursday caught him by surprise.
Sloan initially resigned following Wednesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls. However, team officials persuaded him to sleep on his decision. He met with the team's ownership Thursday morning and said his mind was made up.
Corbin became the obvious choice after that.
Asked when the team informed him of his promotion, Corbin looked at his watch and said, "What time is it?"
Officially, the job was offered between noon and 1 p.m. By 3:15 he was sitting at a dais inside the Zions Bank Basketball Center alongside Sloan, Johnson, O'Connor, team president Randy Rigby, Greg Miller and Gail Miller, widow of longtime Jazz owner Larry H. Miller.
"I have no desire for you to try to fill Jerry's shoes," a teary-eyed Gail Miller told Corbin. "I'd like you to stand on his shoulders and move forward in the same direction, knowing we are there to help lift you."
Corbin was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 1985 after a four-year college career at DePaul University.
A small forward, he played for nine teams over his 16-year NBA career. Corbin spent three seasons with the Jazz, from 1991-94.
After his playing career ended, he spent time working in the NBA's Development League before taking a job as manager of player development for the New York Knicks during the 2003-04 season.
Prior to the start of the 2010-11 season, a panel of NBA general managers named Corbin the second-best assistant coach in the league, ranking only behind Johnson.
When the Jazz meet this morning for a shootaround at EnergySolutions Arena, Corbin will gather the players together for a team meeting. His objective, he said, would be get everyone focused on the same thing: staying in playoff contention.
"We still have a chance to make the playoffs, and we still have a chance to do well in the playoffs," he said.
Going into tonight's game, the Jazz have a record of 31-23.
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