Utah has had a giant in the NBA, WNBA and NBA G-League
By Josh Padmore
Rudy Gobert isn’t the only seven-foot-plus giant to be associated with the state of Utah and the Utah Jazz.
Seven-foot-one. A wingspan that nearly stretches to eight feet. Rudy Gobert is indeed a giant. Utah, and the Utah Jazz, are familiar with some other giants, though. A few associated with the Jazz, one in the WNBA and one in the NBA G-League.
As a matter of fact, Gobert is actually the shortest one of the players I will be listing. That’s crazy, isn’t it? Now that I for sure have your attention, let’s get into it.
Mark Eaton
This is a name Utah Jazz fans are extremely familiar with, as the seven-foot-four Mark Eaton is a Jazz legend. He spent his entire NBA career with Utah, averaging six points, eight rebounds and nearly four blocks per game. Eaton has his No. 53 jersey hanging in the rafters.
Eaton and Gobert are good friends. The Jazz legend has taken note of Gobert’s defensive dominance. Gobert and Eaton are the only players in franchise history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
When it’s all said and done, I expect Gobert will be heralded with Eaton as one of the best centers in franchise history. If he isn’t already.
Greg Ostertag
Another name that Jazz fans should be familiar with. Greg Ostertag is another monster who spent most of his career with Utah. Standing at seven-foot-two, Ostertag weighed 280 pounds. I’m sorry, I have to throw this in: Duke’s Zion Williamson weighs 285. That’s insane.
Anyway, Ostertag turned into a fan favorite for his efforts with the Jazz, who selected him 28th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft. He spent 10 years in Utah, playing in 700 games. Ostertag averaged five points and six rebounds per game.
He didn’t get his No. 00 jersey retired, but Ostertag will always be remembered as one of the more unique centers in franchise history.
Tibor Pleiss
Tibor Pleiss was recently with the Utah Jazz, during the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately, his time was short-lived. He only played in 12 games for the Jazz. I think Pleiss could have made an impact for the Jazz given playing time. His shooting touch remains extremely impressive for a big man.
Pleiss is listed at seven-foot-three. He was with the team before the Jazz’s G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, formed. So, when sent down to the G-League, Pleiss had to play for the Idaho Stampede. He averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds per game in the G-League.
Ultimately, Pleiss was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016. The Jazz acquired guard Kendall Marshall, who didn’t play in a game for the team. The Jazz also had to part with a few second-round picks. Philadelphia took advantage of Utah having to clear a roster spot for Joel Bolomboy.
Margo Dydek
Make sure you have some tissues with you for this one. Margo Dydek was a seven-foot-two WNBA player who was drafted by the Utah Starzz, the former WNBA club located in Utah before relocating to San Antonio. Yes, was. Dydek tragically passed away when she was 37 years old due to a severe heart attack. What makes this story even sadder is that Dydek was pregnant at the time. It was early on in her pregnancy, and her child did not make it.
Dydek was, and still is, the tallest WNBA player to ever play. She averaged 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game throughout her career. She was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Starzz in the 1998 WNBA Draft.
Rudy Gobert is on pace to become the best giant in Utah Jazz history. But, let’s not forget about the giants before/after him that were associated with the great state of Utah.