Mark Eaton, the 7-foot-4 shot-blocking king and former two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has died at age 64 after he went for a bike ride Friday evening and failed to return. The Utah Jazz, with whom he spent his entire 11-year career from 1982 to 1992, confirmed his death to The Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday. Eaton, a native Southern Californian, played at UCLA and was a fourth-round draft pick of the Jazz in 1982. 'It may be cliched, but it´s true: Mark Eaton was a giant, in every sense of the word,' the NBPA statement said. 'The NBA mourns the passing of Mark Eaton, a Utah Jazz legend and former president of the Retired Players Association.

Source: Daily Mail May 30, 2021 05:54 UTC