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Greg Ostertag
One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Greg Ostertag: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you have a better example of his signature, or a story about it, the note at the foot of this page still stands.
Duncanville, Texas produced the 7-foot-2 center who helped Kansas reach the 1993 Final Four and left as the leading shot blocker in Jayhawks and Big 8 history. The Jazz drafted him 28th in 1995, and he manned the middle for nine seasons, defending Olajuwon, Robinson and O'Neal on the runs to back-to-back Finals in 1997 and 1998. He retired in 2006 to a standing ovation, never having played for a losing team.
In 2002 he donated a kidney to his sister Amy, becoming the first NBA player to return after giving an organ. Back in Texas he ran a bar and grill, a construction firm, sold real estate and substitute taught — and in May 2026 was elected mayor of Mount Vernon, a volunteer post.
HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah took him 28th overall in 1995 and he gave the club nine straight seasons. His contract ran out in 2004 and he signed with Sacramento, where the minutes dried up. The August 2005 five-team trade brought him home, and he retired here to a standing ovation.
- Full name
- Gregory Donovan Ostertag
- Utah Jazz tenure
- 1995–2004, 2005–06
- Position
- Center
- Born
- 1973, Dallas, Texas
- Height
- 7′2″ (218 cm)
- Weight
- 280 lb (127 kg)
- College
- Kansas
- Drafted
- 1995, 1st round (No. 28), Utah
With the Jazz
GREG OSTERTAG · 1995–2004, 2005–06 · PER GAME| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | UTA | 57 | 11.6 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | .473 | — | .667 |
| 1996–97 | UTA | 77 | 23.6 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.0 | .515 | .000 | .678 |
| 1997–98 | UTA | 63 | 20.4 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.1 | .481 | — | .479 |
| 1998–99 | UTA | 48 | 27.9 | 5.7 | 7.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.7 | .476 | — | .620 |
| 1999–00 | UTA | 81 | 19.8 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2.1 | .464 | .000 | .636 |
| 2000–01 | UTA | 81 | 18.4 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.8 | .495 | .500 | .556 |
| 2001–02 | UTA | 74 | 15.0 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.5 | .453 | — | .485 |
| 2002–03 | UTA | 81 | 23.8 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.8 | .518 | — | .510 |
| 2003–04 | UTA | 78 | 27.6 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1.8 | .476 | .000 | .579 |
| 2005–06 | UTA | 60 | 13.5 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | .492 | — | .500 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 10 SEASONS | 700 | 20.3 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.8 | .487 | .125 | .575 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Did you know
GREG OSTERTAG · 7 NOTES- Ranks fourth in franchise history in blocked shots, behind Mark Eaton, Andrei Kirilenko and Rudy Gobert.
- Took up ice hockey after retiring and played in adult rec leagues in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- Came back for one final season in Utah after a year in Sacramento — his career began and ended as a Jazzman.
- He led Duncanville High to the 1991 Texas state title, the first in the school's boys basketball history.
- His 47-acre East Texas farm holds two camels named Norman and Harold, five horses, six chickens, five peacocks, four turkeys and two emus.
- He substitute teaches by day and referees youth basketball at night in his adopted Texas hometown.
- He tried a comeback in his late thirties with the D-League's Texas Legends, lasting ten games before a knee injury ended it.
All photographs
1 PHOTO