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Center · 1993–96

Felton Spencer

Louisville produced him, and Louisville mourned him. Felton Spencer set the Cardinals' career field goal percentage record before Minnesota took him sixth overall in 1990, and a 1993 trade brought him to Utah as Mark Eaton's successor in the middle. He averaged 8.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in his first Jazz season, but a ruptured Achilles in 1994–95 cost him the heart of his prime while Utah won 60 games without him.

After retiring in 2002 he went home, coaching as an assistant at Spalding University and then at Bellarmine in Louisville. Spencer died at University of Louisville Hospital in March 2023, at 55.

HOW HE CAME & WENTMinnesota traded him to Utah for Mike Brown in 1993 and he took the pivot from the retiring Mark Eaton, until a ruptured Achilles 34 games into 1994-95. Utah dealt him to Orlando in August 1996 for a first-round pick, keeping Greg Ostertag at centre.

Full name
Felton LaFrance Spencer
Utah Jazz tenure
1993–96
Position
Center
Born
1968, Louisville, Kentucky
Died
2023
Height
7′0″ (213 cm)
Weight
265 lb (120 kg)
College
Louisville
Drafted
1990, 1st round (No. 6), Minnesota
Signature in the archive 1994-95 Upper Deck Collector's Choice - #150 LOUISVILLE/JAZZ

No photograph of this signature is online yet.

With the Jazz

FELTON SPENCER · 1993–96 · PER GAME
SEASONTEAMGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFG%3P%FT%
1993–94UTA7928.08.68.30.50.50.8.505.607
1994–95UTA3426.69.37.60.50.40.9.488.793
1995–96UTA7117.85.64.30.20.30.8.520.689
JAZZ TOTAL3 SEASONS18423.87.66.70.40.40.8.505.674

Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗  ·  Wikipedia ↗

Did you know

FELTON SPENCER · 7 NOTES
  • Remembered around the league as one of its gentlest people — tributes after his death in 2023 spoke more about the man than the player.
  • His Timberwolves rookie shot-blocking record stood until Kevin Garnett arrived five years later.
  • Around Louisville the 7-foot, 265-pound center went by the nickname Chief.
  • A Louisville writer remembered him signing a card for a boy after an exhibition at Freedom Hall, and being just as gracious decades later.
  • As a Minnesota rookie he pulled down 272 offensive rebounds, seventh most in the entire league.
  • He played exactly one game for Orlando in 1996 before being traded again, to Golden State.
  • Of the ruptured Achilles he said 'I was having a great season that year, and I always thought if I hadn't gotten hurt... I thought I could've been that X factor.'