Mark Eaton: Utah Jazz shot-blocking legend dies aged 64
Utah Jazz announced his death on Saturday but did not give a cause or details, saying only it was unexpected; the team described him in a statement as an enduring figure in their history who had a "significant impact in the community" after his basketball career.
Sunday 30 May 2021 08:17, UK
Mark Eaton, who twice was the NBA's defensive player of the year during a career spent entirely with the Utah Jazz, has died at the age of 64.
The team announced his death on Saturday but did not give a cause or details, saying only it was unexpected.
The Jazz described him in a statement as an enduring figure in their history who had a "significant impact in the community" after his basketball career.
The 7ft 4in center led the league in blocks per game four times with his average of 5.6 per contest in 1984-85 remaining the highest since the NBA officially started tracking the statistic.
Despite Eaton's career blocks average of 3.51 per game becoming the best in NBA history, his career happened almost by accident - he was working as an auto mechanic in 1977 when a community college basketball coach persuaded him to enrol.
From there, he went to UCLA before going on to play 11 seasons with the Jazz - the third most in the team's history behind long time Utah cornerstones Karl Malone and John Stockton.
His durability was also noteworthy, with him once appearing in 338 consecutive games and finishing with career averages of 6.0 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Eaton was the defensive player of the year in 1984-85 and 1988-89 as well as an All-Star in 1989 with his No. 53 jersey one of the first to be retired by the Jazz following his last game for the side in 1993.
Following his retirement, Eaton had been, among other things, a restaurateur and motivational speaker as well as serving as a mentor to Utah center Rudy Gobert, the only other player in Jazz history to win the defensive player of the year award.
