If you’re a thirty- or forty-something fan of the Utah Jazz, you were probably a big fan of Felton Spencer. The 7-foot-2 center was a key contributor on some solid squads in the years immediately before the Stockton-to-Malone Jazz reached their peak against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
If he hadn’t ruptured his Achilles, he may have even joined them on the ride.
In any event, when he first came to the Jazz in 1993, it was an exciting move for a young fan like myself. Spencer was the No. 6 overall pick in the draft just a few years before and Mark Eaton, depleted by age and injury, had just retired from basketball.