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Looking forany autographJohn Drew
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 John Drew: 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.
Out of tiny Vredenburgh, Alabama came one of the purest scorers of his era. Drew averaged a state-record 41 points a game in high school, starred at Gardner-Webb, and scored 32 in his 1974 NBA debut for Atlanta. Twice an All-Star, he finished with 15,291 points at 20.7 per game.
Utah acquired him with Freeman Williams in the 1982 Dominique Wilkins trade, and he was runner-up for Comeback Player of the Year in 1983. He lived his later years in Houston and died there in April 2022 at 67.
HOW HE CAME & WENTAtlanta traded him, Freeman Williams and cash to Utah on September 2, 1982 for the draft rights to Dominique Wilkins. A relapse into cocaine addiction ended it — the Jazz suspended him on December 6, 1984 and waived him two days later.
- Full name
- John Edward Drew
- Utah Jazz tenure
- 1982–85
- Position
- Forward
- Born
- 1954, Vredenburgh, Alabama
- Died
- 2022
- Height
- 6′6″ (198 cm)
- Weight
- 205 lb (93 kg)
- College
- Gardner-Webb
- Drafted
- 1974, 2nd round, Atlanta
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
JOHN DREW · 1982–85 · PER GAME| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | UTA | 44 | 27.4 | 21.2 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | .474 | .000 | .755 |
| 1983–84 | UTA | 81 | 22.2 | 17.7 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.0 | .479 | .273 | .778 |
| 1984–85 | UTA | 19 | 24.4 | 16.2 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.1 | .412 | .000 | .770 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 3 SEASONS | 144 | 24.1 | 18.5 | 4.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | .468 | .194 | .768 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Did you know
JOHN DREW · 8 NOTES- Shares the NBA record with Jason Kidd for most turnovers in a game — fourteen.
- He grew up in Vredenburgh, Alabama, learning the game on rural dirt courts.
- He opened his NBA career with 32 points and 12 rebounds against Chicago in October 1974.
- Coming off the bench he averaged 18 points for the 1983-84 Team with Heart, the first Jazz squad ever to reach the playoffs.
- Salt Lake sportscaster Paul James devoted a 1984 feature to his wardrobe — teammates considered him the club's best dresser.
- Teammates called him Deuces for his No. 22, and Mike Glenn later argued the Hawks should retire the number.
- On January 22, 1986 he became the first player banned for life under the NBA's substance abuse policy, ineligible to apply for reinstatement until the 1987-88 season.
- Drew argued the rule was self-defeating, saying it 'will keep guys from coming forward and admitting they still have a problem.'