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Looking forany autographRafael Araújo
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 Rafael Araújo: 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.
BYU fans knew him as a bruising 6-foot-11 second-team All-American, Mountain West co-Player of the Year in 2004, and Toronto made the Brazilian the eighth pick that June — one spot ahead of Andre Iguodala. The fit never worked, and in June 2006 the Raptors traded him to the Jazz for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley. Araujo dropped twenty pounds and worked, but behind Boozer, Kirilenko, and Okur he managed 2.6 points in 28 games, his last NBA appearance coming in the 2007 Western Conference Finals.
Owner Larry H. Miller publicly hoped he would return, but the roster spot went to Kyrylo Fesenko. Araujo moved on to Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia, then got a final NBA camp look with Minnesota in 2008.
HOW HE CAME & WENTToronto sent him and cash to Utah for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley on June 8, 2006. Utah declined his option for 2007-08 in October 2006, so his contract ran out after one season, and the Jazz signed Kyrylo Fesenko instead — his NBA career was over.
- Full name
- Rafael Paulo de Lara Araújo
- Utah Jazz tenure
- 2006–07
- Position
- Center
- Born
- 1980, Curitiba, Brazil
- Height
- 6′11″ (211 cm)
- Weight
- 276 lb (125 kg)
- College
- Brigham Young
- Drafted
- 2004, 1st round (No. 8), Toronto
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
RAFAEL ARAÚJO · 2006–07 · PER GAME| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | UTA | 28 | 8.9 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .415 | — | .621 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 1 SEASON | 28 | 8.9 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .415 | — | .621 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Did you know
RAFAEL ARAÚJO · 7 NOTES- Played college basketball in Utah at BYU before his NBA career.
- Represented Brazil internationally for many years.
- He was called up to Brazil's 2002 World Championship squad while still a junior college player, filling in for Nenê.
- Throughout his career in Brazil he was known to everyone simply as Baby.
- In a January 2011 game he took a baseline pass, attacked the rim and dunked so hard the backboard shattered, and the video travelled the world.
- Returning to Flamengo in 2010 he respelled his nickname Babby and swapped number 55 for 66, purely for numerological reasons.
- He cut himself from 295 pounds to 275 chasing athleticism after Utah traded for him in the summer of 2006.