One the Utah Jazz and their fans know well.

One whose presence will make Friday night's Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction just a little bittersweet for John Stockton and Jerry Sloan.

His name? Michael Jordan.

His game? Breaking the heart of almost every team that challenged the six-time champion Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, including Utah -- twice.

After an excruciating decade of trying, Stockton, Sloan and the Jazz finally reached the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.

Both times, Jordan and the Bulls were waiting.

Both times, the Jazz were denied a championship by the narrowest of margins, mostly because Jordan would not let the Bulls lose.

Consider:

? Utah went 4-8 in its two appearances in the Finals.

? Five of those losses were by four points or less.

? In those five games, Jordan scored 31, 38, 39, 34 and 45 points.

? Twice, Jordan hit game-winning jumpers.

? Another time, he drew the defense to him and assisted on Steve Kerr's game-winner.

Today, Jordan is regarded as the greatest player in NBA history, thanks in part to what he did to the ringless Utah Jazz in back-to-back Finals more than a decade ago.

So what happens? In the oddity of oddities, Stockton and Sloan get into the Hall of Fame, but You-Know-Who is elected at the same time, once again relegating them to the supporting cast.

"It will be kind of tough to look at him again," said Sloan, only half-kidding.

"I'm looking forward to it," Stockton said. "I think very highly of Michael. I've enjoyed every time we've hooked up and I don't expect this weekend to be any different."

Just don't ask Stockton about losing to the Bulls in the Finals, which a network TV interviewer did once shortly after Jordan's first retirement from Basketball.

Stockton immediately stood up and walked out of the room because he'd been promised there would be no questions about those painful losses to Jordan.

The interesting makeup of the Class of 2009 is not lost on longtime Jazz assistant Gordon Chiesa.

"It's an incredible irony because all of us -- Michael Jordan and the Utah Jazz -- are attached at the hip and always will be," he said.

Of course, nobody connected with the Jazz will ever bad-mouth Jordan, who they recognize as the most worthy opponent any team could face.

"He was the only guy we ever played against that we couldn't guard," Chiesa said. "He did everything for his team and, 99 percent of the time, he did the right thing. That's what John did for us. He uplifted the whole team on every possession."

Said Jazz assistant Phil Johnson: "Talking to coaches who worked with Michael over the years, they always said the same thing: He was one of the hardest workers on the team. ...

"It's really unbelievable how great he was and how competitive he was. And when you couple that with such tremendous physical talent, you end up with Michael Jordan."

Mark Eaton didn't play on the Jazz teams that lost to the Bulls in the Finals, but he saw plenty of Jordan before retiring in 1993.

"He was the best of the best," Eaton said. "To have the ability to make last-second shots and last-second plays, I mean, he's probably the greatest player ever. The Jazz were just another victim in a long line of teams that happened to run into him."

Another oddity involving the Class of '09?

Before Jordan became an icon in Chicago, Sloan was known as the greatest player in Bulls' history. His jersey still hangs from the rafters at the United Center, next to Jordan's No. 23.

"What he did for Basketball and what he accomplished as a player puts him right at the very top," Sloan said. "Not many people get to where he's been, or do what he's been able to do for the game of Basketball."

Asked about Jordan taking his place as the most revered Chicago Bull in history, Sloan shook his head and said, "I don't look at that. I really don't.

"I had a tremendous time playing Basketball in Chicago. It was a great thrill. ... Not too many people get to do something they love and to get paid for doing it."

Johnson sees a similarity between Jordan, Stockton and Sloan.

"It's interesting because the main thing with all of them is hard work," he explained. "These guys didn't just roll out of bed and become great Basketball players. It took an incredible amount of hard work."

That work ethic didn't get everyone a championship ring, but it did get them all into the Hall of Fame.

"Having Michael Jordan, John Stockton and Jerry Sloan in the same class makes it an even bigger event than usual," Layden said. "I think you could argue that the greatest player, the greatest point guard and one of the greatest coaches are going in together."

luhm@sltrib.com Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Today, 4:30 p.m.

TV ? ESPN