Felton Spencer, who spent three years in the middle for the Utah Jazz, will be in the house when the team takes on the Los Angeles Lakers this week.
If you’re a thirty- or forty-something fan of the Utah Jazz, you were probably a big fan of Felton Spencer. The 7-foot-2 center was a key contributor on some solid squads in the years immediately before the Stockton-to-Malone Jazz reached their peak against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
If he hadn’t ruptured his Achilles, he may have even joined them on the ride.
In any event, when he first came to the Jazz in 1993, it was an exciting move for a young fan like myself. Spencer was the No. 6 overall pick in the draft just a few years before and Mark Eaton, depleted by age and injury, had just retired from basketball. Spencer’s arrival was big news at the time.
This week, the former Jazzman (and alleged Trey Lyles lookalike) is making news in Utah once again. According to an announcement from the Jazz, Spencer is set to make a series of appearances on Thursday and Friday as part of the team’s alumni program.
From the Jazz press release —
"On Thursday, Spencer will take part in a Facebook Live chat on the Jazz’s official Facebook page from 5:30-6 p.m. He will then sign autographs on the concourse at Vivint Smart Home Arena outside of Fanzz, located by Portal E from 7-8 p.m. During the game Spencer will also join David Locke and Ron Boone on the Jazz radio broadcast. The following day, January 27, Spencer and Junior Jazz staff will host a youth basketball clinic. There, the attendees will learn fundamental basketball drills, including shooting, passing and dribbling."
Felton Spencer to Make Jazz Alumni Appearances This Week
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 25, 2017
Details: https://t.co/3Bpc6c3kyQ pic.twitter.com/XSHMFgPVHa
Spencer played three years with the Jazz from 1993 to 1996. He was acquired via trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Mike Brown, who had also been a big part of what the team was doing. In 184 games with the organization (183 starts), he averaged 7.6 points and nearly seven rebounds per game. He also appeared in 34 playoff games over that stretch.
His best performance in a Jazz uniform probably came in an April, ’94 game against David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs. Although the Admiral dropped 31 points in the game, Spencer scored 22 of his own on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed a team-high 17 rebounds in 37 minutes on the floor. The Jazz won the game 101-90.
If you really want to take a trip down memory lane, go back and read Brad Rock’s gamer from the Deseret News. The other Jazz players were apparently calling him “Dr. J” during his big night. Said Rock: “Like exercise videos and Spielberg movies, Spencer is everywhere these days.”
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After his time in Utah, Spencer went on to play six more seasons in the league, largely as a back-up. More recently, he’s served as an assistant coach at Bellarmine University.