Walker Kessler

Georgia's Mr. Basketball at Woodward Academy, Kessler blocked shots at a rate the college game rarely sees — after transferring from North Carolina to Auburn he led the nation in blocks, posted a 16-point, 11-block, 10-rebound triple-double against LSU, and won SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Draft-night maneuvering in 2022 routed him to Utah as part of the blockbuster return for Rudy Gobert, and he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

He grew into the Jazz's anchor in the middle, once pulling down 25 rebounds in a game, before shoulder surgery ended his 2025-26 season early. In July 2026 the Lakers signed him to a four-year, $130 million deal in a sign-and-trade.

HOW HE CAME & WENTMemphis drafted him 22nd in 2022 and Utah got him two weeks later in the Rudy Gobert trade. Shoulder surgery cost him 2025-26, and with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic crowding the front line Utah sign-and-traded him to the Lakers in July 2026.

Full name

Walker Ross Kessler

Utah Jazz tenure

2022–

Position

Center

Born

2001, Newnan, Georgia

Height

7′1″ (216 cm)

College

Auburn

Drafted

2022, 1st round (No. 22), Memphis

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