Robert Whaley

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 Robert Whaley: 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.

Walsh University had never won a national title until Whaley, the 2004-05 NAIA Division II Player of the Year, delivered one — the last stop on a road through Benton Harbor High, Barton County Community College, and Cincinnati. The Jazz took him 51st in 2005, and as of 2018 no NAIA player had been drafted since. Knee trouble limited his rookie year to 23 games before Utah traded him to Toronto in the Rafael Araujo deal.

Life afterward turned hard.

HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah took him 51st overall in 2005 and traded him with Kris Humphries to Toronto a year later. He was suspended a game for lying about how he cut his hand.

Full name

Robert Antawon Whaley

Utah Jazz tenure

2005–06

Position

Center

Born

1982, Benton Harbor, Michigan

Height

6′10″ (208 cm)

Weight

260 lb (118 kg)

College

Walsh

Drafted

2005, 2nd round (No. 51), Utah