National Basketball Association

NBA world reacts to the death of Utah Jazz big man Mark Eaton

Updated May. 29, 2021 9:41 p.m. ET

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The NBA world was mourning on Saturday when news broke that Mark Eaton, a most unique NBA player with a most unusual story, had died on Friday night at the age of 64.

The 7-foot-4 big man, who played all 11 of his NBA seasons in Utah, apparently died as a result of injuries he suffered in a bicycle accident, according to a statement from the Jazz.

The Jazz stated that Eaton was riding his bike in Summit County, Utah on Friday night. Around 8:30 p.m. local time he was found by a passerby after apparently crashing. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Officials said there was "no reason to believe a vehicle was involved in the incident."

Despite his height, Eaton was far from your typical basketball player. He never averaged double-figure scoring, managing to score just 6.0 PPG across his 11 NBA seasons (1982-93). But he proved to be a key defensive cog for Jazz teams led by Karl Malone and John Stockton, clogging the middle like no other player in NBA history.

Eaton still holds the record for most blocks in a season – his 456 swats in 1984-85 are 34 more than the 422 Artis Gilmore racked up in 1971-72. 

"It kind of astounds me," Eaton said in an interview with UtahJazz.com in 2019. "I always thought there would be someone that came along and knock me off the block. It’s remarkable. I don’t think about it a whole lot but sometimes I look at all the great centers that have come along and nobody has come close to breaking that record. It’s kind of crazy."

Eaton also still holds the record for career blocks per game, his 3.50 average landing ahead of Manute Bol (3.34), Hakeem Olajuwon (2.99), David Robinson (2.99) and Elmore Smith (2.90).

The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year had an unusual journey to match his unusual skill set. 

Eaton was working as an auto mechanic in 1977 when a community college basketball coach encouraged him to enroll. From there he went to UCLA, and the Jazz drafted him in the fourth round of the 1982 draft.

"I had an unusual background," Eaton said a couple years ago. "It’s an unlikely story to be sure. I basically came into the NBA with two years of junior college experience and sat on the bench at UCLA for two years. And Frank Layden gave me a chance and the team was in a space where they could afford to let me make some mistakes out there and get my feet underneath me. It worked out well for both of us."

Eaton later became a motivational speaker and became a friend and mentor to current Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

"I will text Rudy on occasion and tell him your job is to guard the entire team. The paint is your house. Don’t let anybody in there," Eaton said. "I love watching him. He’s so exciting."

The NBA world reacted on Saturday to Eaton’s death. 

"What a gentleman, who after his playing career – author, motivational speaker, just a good man," said Ernie Johnson on "Inside the NBA" on TNT. "And this was a stunner."

"This just broke my heart," added Charles Barkley, who was friends with Eaton. "You know Shaq (O’Neal) acts like he’s a tough guy, but I think Shaq is a gentle giant. You know you’ve got Gheorghe Mureșan, you’ve got Dikembe Mutombo, but that guy right there (Eaton) was the ultimate gentle giant."

Here are some other reactions as news of Eaton’s death spread across the NBA.

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