 Eaton with the Utah Jazz c. 1988 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 24, 1957 Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 2021 (aged 64) Park City, Utah, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) |
| Listed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Westminster (Westminster, California) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 1982: 4th round, 72nd overall pick |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Playing career | 1982–1994 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 53 |
| Career history | |
| 1982–1994 | Utah Jazz |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,216 (6.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,939 (7.9 rpg) |
| Blocks | 3,064 (3.5 bpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Mark Edward Eaton[1] (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he was twice voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1985, 1989) and was a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) Eaton became one of the best defensive centers in NBA history. He led the league in blocks four times and holds the NBA single-season records for blocks (456) and blocked shots per game average (5.6), as well as career blocked shots per game (3.5). His No. 53 was retired by the Jazz.
Eaton was a reserve on his high school basketball team before graduating and working as an auto mechanic. He was discovered by an assistant coach at Cypress College, who persuaded Eaton to enroll at the community college and play basketball. Eaton transferred to play college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, but he was used sparingly. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz as a long-term project. Eaton helped transform the Jazz from a last-place team into a perennial playoff team. When he retired from playing in 1994, he ranked second in the NBA in career blocks behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.