Mark Eaton, shot-blocking king and Jazz legend, dies at 64

One of the premier shot-blockers in NBA history, Eaton was named Defensive Player of the Year twice in his 11-year career — all with the Utah Jazz.

Mark Eaton, the 7-foot-4 shot-blocking king who twice was the NBA’s defensive player of the year during a career spent entirely with the Utah Jazz, has died. He was 64.

The team announced his death Saturday.

Eaton left his home for a bike ride Friday night in Summit County, Utah, and shortly thereafter someone called 911 to report after seeing him lying on a roadway and unconscious. Eaton was taken to a hospital where he later died.

The team, citing county officials who investigated, said “there is no reason to believe a vehicle was involved in the incident.”

The Jazz described him in a statement as an “enduring figure in our

Utah coach Quin Snyder said Saturday night before Game 3 in Memphis that the team’s thoughts and prayers go out to Eaton’s wife.

“Mark was someone that was a friend, and I think a friend who a lot of us, in his relationship with Rudy Gobert I think is emblematic of who he was and his ability to listen,” Snyder said. “And then to offer counsel and support was something that was really unique, and obviously we’ll miss him.”

The center led the league in blocks per game four times and his average of 5.6 per contest in 1984-85 remains the highest average since the NBA started officially tracking that statistic.

Eaton’s career blocks average of 3.51 per game is the best in NBA history, and his career happened almost by accident. He was working as an auto mechanic in 1977 when a community college basketball coach persuaded him to enroll. From there, he went to UCLA, and his stint with the Jazz followed.

“I had an unusual background,” Eaton said for a story published on the Jazz web site two 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.”