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Looking forany autographJeff Wilkins
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 Jeff Wilkins: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.
Illinois State's big man waited for his NBA shot. Drafted in the second round by San Antonio in 1977 but waived before the season, Wilkins put in time with the CBA's Hawaii Volcanos before the Utah Jazz signed him in 1980. He spent nearly all of his NBA career in Utah, six seasons at 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, until a mid-season trade returned him to the Spurs for his 1986 finish.
Before his NBA days he had won a Turkish league championship with Efes Pilsen in 1978-79. His sons followed him into the game: John has played professionally across Africa and Europe, and Johnathon played at New Mexico State and then in France.
HOW HE CAME & WENTSan Antonio drafted him 37th overall in 1977 and cut him before the season. He spent three years in Turkey and the CBA, signed with Utah in December 1980, and was traded back to San Antonio in February 1986 for Marc Iavaroni and Jeff Cook.
- Full name
- Jeffrey Wilkins
- Utah Jazz tenure
- 1980–86
- Position
- Center
- Born
- 1955, Chicago, Illinois
- Height
- 6′11″ (211 cm)
- Weight
- 229 lb (104 kg)
- College
- Illinois State
- Drafted
- 1977, 2nd round (No. 37), San Antonio
A card. A photo. A program. A page from an old autograph book. Anything he put his name on.
You do not need to know what it is. Take a photo with your phone and send it to me. I will tell you what you have, for free, whether or not anything comes of it. I pay the postage both ways. I answer every message myself, usually the same day.
With the Jazz
JEFF WILKINS · 1980–86 · PER GAME| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | UTA | 56 | 18.9 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | .450 | — | .675 |
| 1981–82 | UTA | 82 | 27.7 | 9.3 | 7.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.9 | .437 | .000 | .778 |
| 1982–83 | UTA | 81 | 28.5 | 11.5 | 7.4 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | .477 | .000 | .780 |
| 1983–84 | UTA | 81 | 21.4 | 7.8 | 5.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.5 | .479 | .000 | .736 |
| 1984–85 | UTA | 79 | 19.1 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | .490 | .000 | .763 |
| 1985–86 | UTA | 48 | 12.6 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | .400 | — | .638 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 6 SEASONS | 427 | 22.2 | 8.1 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | .462 | .000 | .752 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Did you know
JEFF WILKINS · 4 NOTES- Played 427 games for the Jazz, more than most players on the wanted list combined.
- The 6-foot-11 center carried the nickname Big Dipper from Elgin High School in Illinois onward.
- San Antonio drafted and cut him in 1977, and nine years later he closed his career with that same team.
- He was already 25 when he finally made his NBA debut on December 4, 1980, three years after being waived.