Former Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton has died following a bicycle crash, authorities say. He was 64.
Authorities believe that Eaton, 64, was riding through the neighborhood when he crashed. There were no witnesses and"there is no reason to believe a vehicle was involved in the incident," deputies said.
Eaton, a center, spent his entire career with the Jazz, led the league in blocks per game four times and his average of 5.6 per contest in 1984-85 remains the highest average since the NBA started officially tracking that statistic. "I had an unusual background,” Eaton said for a story published on the Jazz website two years ago. “It’s an unlikely story to be sure. I basically came into the NBA with two years of junior college experience and sat on the bench at UCLA for two years. And Frank Layden gave me a chance and the team was in a space where they could afford to let me make some mistakes out there and get my feet underneath me. It worked out well for both of us.