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Big fan of Utah basketball? Then check out this list of Utah Jazz centers.&nbsp;It includes almost every center from throughout Utah Jazz history, including current centers and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-centers-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest NBA centers</a> of all time,&nbsp;the best Jazz&nbsp;Cs include Rudy Gobert,&nbsp;Mark Eaton, Rich Kelley, Mehmet Okur, and Greg Ostertag.

In the 2021-22 NBA season, the current Utah Jazz starting Cs and backup Cs are Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, and Udoka Azubuike.&nbsp;

Who are the best centers in Utah Jazz history? Vote below and help decide the greatest Utah Jazz&nbsp;center of all time!

The 25+ Best Utah Jazz Centers of All Time, Ranked by Fans

The Best Utah Jazz Centers of All Time

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Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel (born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national basketball team in the international competitions. Standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall with a wingspan of 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) long, he plays at the center position. He was the NBA blocks leader in the 2016–17 season. In 2018 and 2019, he won back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, making him one of only ten players in NBA History who have won that honor at least twice. In 2019, Gobert shattered the single-season record for slam dunks with 306. That year, Gobert also led the NBA in screen assists, with 482, effective field goal percentage, with 66.9 percents, and true shooting percentage, at 68.2 percents. He has been named to an All-NBA Team in 2017 and 2019. He was named the French Player of the Year, in 2019.

Mark Eaton

Mark E. Eaton (born January 24, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who was a member of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz from 1982 to 1993, with one NBA All-Star selection in 1989, and two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1985 and 1989. Though limited offensively, Eaton's 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) height helped him become one of the best defensive centers in NBA history.  Eaton holds the NBA record for most blocks in a season (456) and career average blocked shots per game (3.50).

Derrick Favors

Derrick Bernard Favors (born July 15, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Favors played college basketball for Georgia Tech for one season before being drafted third overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 2010 NBA draft. He was later traded to Utah in 2011.

Mehmet Okur

Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish retired professional basketball player. Listed at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), he played as a power forward and center.  He was known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor.  In his 7 seasons with the Utah Jazz, Mehmet Okur emerged as one of the premier shooting players in the NBA. From 2004-10 Okur displayed a talent for making big shots in pressure situations - earning him the nickname of "The Money Man" and "Memo is Money" amongst Jazz fans. On 13 September 2016, Okur was named a player development coach for the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first Turkish citizen to enter the coaching world in the NBA.

Antoine Carr

Antoine Labotte Carr (born July 23, 1961) is an American retired basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dawg", he played for six teams in sixteen NBA seasons.

Felton Spencer

Felton LaFrance Spencer (born January 5, 1968) is a retired American professional basketball player who played at the center position in the National Basketball Association.

Olden Polynice

Olden Polynice (born November 21, 1964) is a Haitian former professional basketball player. He played center for the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Rich Kelley

Richard Ryland Kelley (born March 23, 1953) is a retired American basketball player. Kelley played college basketball at Stanford University and was the 1st round pick (#7 overall) of the New Orleans Jazz in the 1975 NBA draft. Kelley played ten NBA seasons.

Greg Ostertag

Gregory Donovan Ostertag (born March 6, 1973) is an American retired professional basketball player. He spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in college at the University of Kansas.

Darryl Dawkins

Darryl Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. His nickname, "Chocolate Thunder", was bestowed upon him by Stevie Wonder. He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to his shattering the backboard on two occasions in 1979.Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in the NBA Finals three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983–84).

Greg Foster

Gregory Clinton Foster (born October 3, 1968) is an American retired professional basketball player. He currently is an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks after spending 2013–14 season as the assistant for player development of the Philadelphia 76ers and assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

James Donaldson

James Lee Donaldson III (born August 16, 1957) is a retired professional English-American basketball player who grew up in California and played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association and several leagues across Europe. Born in Heacham, England, Donaldson played high school basketball for Luther Burbank High School before enrolling at Washington State University to play for the Cougars.

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Niam Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd before being selected in the second round by the Sacramento Kings in the 2010 NBA draft. After joining the Miami Heat in 2014, Whiteside was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016, when he also led the NBA in blocks. He led the league in rebounding in 2017.

Jarron Collins

Jarron Thomas Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, and played 10 seasons in the NBA. He has a twin, Jason, who also played in the league.

Paul Griffin

Paul Arthur Griffin (born January 20, 1954) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Paul Griffin attended Shelby High School in Shelby, Michigan, a small town in western Michigan near Lake Michigan.  Griffin was the integral part on back-to-back class C Boys' Basketball State Championships in 1971 and 1972.
Griffin attended Western Michigan University from 1972 to 1976, leading the Broncos to their first NCAA Basketball Tournament berth in 1976 and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.  He finished his career as WMU's all-time leading rebounder.
Griffin was selected by the New Orleans Jazz in the fifth round of the 1976 NBA draft, where he spent three seasons. He was acquired by the San Antonio Spurs for the 1979–80 season and remained there until the end of his NBA career in 1983. During the 1980s, Griffin and his Spurs teammates George Johnson, Dave Corzine, Kevin Restani, Mark Olberding and Reggie Johnson earned the nickname "The Bruise Brothers" for their physical style of play.

Danny Schayes

Daniel Leslie Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player who played for Syracuse University, and then played 18 seasons in the NBA, from 1981 until 1999. At 6' 11" and 235 pounds, he played at center. He is the son of the late Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes.

Jeff Wilkins

Jeffrey "Jeff" Wilkins (born March 9, 1955) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues. A 6'11" 230 lb center born in Chicago, Illinois, Wilkins played college basketball at Illinois State University and was selected with the 15th pick in the 2nd round of the 1977 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
He signed with the Spurs in July 1977 but was waived prior to the start of the 1977–78 NBA season.  He began his NBA playing career in 1980 with the Utah Jazz and spent the majority of it with them, but due to a mid-season trade played out part of his final year with the Spurs in 1986.He holds career NBA averages of 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Wilkins also won a Turkish Basketball League championship with Efes Pilsen.

Billy Paultz

William Edward "Billy" Paultz (born July 30, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player.
Born in River Edge, New Jersey, Paultz played college basketball at Cameron Junior College and then at Saint John's University, and was selected in the seventh round of the 1970 NBA draft by the San Diego Rockets and by the Virginia Squires in the 1970 ABA Draft.  Paultz opted to sign with the Squires.  On August 11, 1970 the Squires traded his rights to the New York Nets in exchange for a draft choice and cash.He played professional ball both in the National Basketball Association and in the now defunct American Basketball Association. His nickname was "The Whopper", and he stands 6 feet 11 inches tall.
As a rookie, Paultz made his first playoff appearance in 1971 with the New York Nets.  He spent his first five seasons, all in the playoffs, with the ABA Nets, and was a key player in their 1973–74 ABA championship season. He was then traded to the San Antonio Spurs where he made four appearances in the playoffs, including one in an ABA championship final from 1975 to 1979.
Although Paultz moved with a bulky stiffness, he was a very heady player. He was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played for two and a half seasons, and he teamed with Moses Malone to make the 1981 NBA Finals. During the 1982–83 season without Malone, and with the Rockets in last place, he was placed on waivers and picked up by the playoff-bound Spurs. In 1984, he was a late season pickup by the playoff bound Atlanta Hawks. He finished his career with the Utah Jazz in 1985.
A three time ABA All-Star, Paultz led the ABA in blocked shots during the 1975–76 season.
About his play, Paultz stated, "I have realized that I'm not an overpowering type center. I don't really know what my category is. I have always been the type of player that can do a little bit of everything."
Paultz played organized basketball at River Dell Regional High School in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Isaac Austin

Isaac Edward "Ike" Austin (born August 18, 1969) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is also the uncle of Baylor University's Isaiah Austin.Austin was born in Gridley, California. A 6' 10" (2.08 m) center from Kings River Community College and Arizona State University, he was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round (48th overall) of the 1991 NBA draft. He averaged two points and 1.1 rebounds during his rookie season with the Jazz, and after two more sub-par seasons, he signed to play with Tuborg İzmir, a Turkish basketball team. Ingerman averaged 22.3 points and 13.9 rebounds during the 1995–1996 season in Turkey, and he returned to the NBA the following season as a member of the Miami Heat.
With renewed confidence, Austin averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Heat and received the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1997. Austin had his best season in 1997–1998, when he averaged 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while playing for the Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers (to whom he was traded midseason for Brent Barry). After that season, he signed a lucrative contract with the Orlando Magic, but his play began to regress. Austin was traded to the Washington Wizards for Ben Wallace, Terry Davis, Tim Legler, and Jeff McInnis after one season with the Magic, and the Wizards later traded him to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Cherokee Parks, Obinna Ekezie, Dennis Scott, and Felipe Lopez. He ended his NBA career with the Grizzlies in 2002 (the team moved to Memphis in 2001).
From 2004 to 2005, Austin was owner and head coach of the Utah Snowbears, a team in the American Basketball Association. He led the Snowbears to a 27-1 record in the team's first season, but feuded with league officials during the playoffs and decided to forfeit the rest of the season (and later on, fold the team) in protest.

Tony Bradley

Tony Lee Bradley Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina. A 6'10 center, Bradley was a primary substitute for the Tar Heels' 2017 NCAA championship team.

Ekpe Udoh

Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( eh-PAY YOO-doh; born May 20, 1987) is an American– Nigerian  professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played high school basketball for Edmond Santa Fe High School and college basketball for the University of Michigan and Baylor University. In the 2010 NBA draft, he was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the sixth overall pick.
With a 7'4 ​1⁄2" wingspan, Udoh was the Big 12 Conference's leading shot blocker during the 2009–10 season.  He led the conference in his only season at Baylor, after transferring from Michigan where, as a sophomore, he led the Big Ten Conference in blocked shots with 2.9 per game (92 blocks total) in 2007–08. A two−time All-EuroLeague Team selection, Udoh led Fenerbahçe to a EuroLeague title in 2017, earning the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award in the process.
Udoh was selected for the Nigerian national team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Mike Brown

Michael Brown (born July 19, 1963) is an American retired professional basketball player and occasional minor league coach and NBA assistant coach. A durable 6'9" power forward/center, he played at George Washington University in the early 1980s, where he received the nickname "The New Washington Monument."After four years of college ball, Brown was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the third round of the 1985 NBA Draft. Brown would go on to play eleven seasons in the NBA, earning a reputation as a workhorse in the low post in limited minutes as a reserve as a member of the Bulls, the Utah Jazz, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Phoenix Suns. He retired with NBA career totals of 3,130 points and 2,762 rebounds. He also played professionally in Italy for Aurora Desio (1985–1986), Teamsystem Bologna (1995) and Viola Reggio Calabria (1996–1998).
Brown was an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Slam of the ABA for the 2001-02 season. From 2002 through 2004, he was an assistant coach for the National Basketball Development League's Roanoke Dazzle. In 2004, he replaced Jeff Capel as head coach of the D-League's Fayetteville Patriots.During the 2007-08 NBA season, Brown worked as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. He was signed primarily to work with the Bulls' young centers and power forwards.Brown does live radio remotes at different restaurants with Marty Rodick in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday & Sunday.

Fred Roberts

Frederick Clark "Fred" Roberts (born August 14, 1960) is a retired American basketball player who played power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons, a career spanning from 1983 to 1997, becoming one of the more successful journeymen to play in the league. He also played in FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB.

James Hardy

James Percivell Hardy (born December 1, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player. Hardy played the forward position in the NBA from 1978 to 1982. He played collegiately at the University of San Francisco. At 6'9" (206 cm) and 220 lb (100 kg), he played as a forward.

Udoka Azubuike

Udoka Timothy Azubuike (born September 17, 1999) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Big fan of Utah basketball? Then check out this list of Utah Jazz centers.&nbsp;It includes almost every center from throughout Utah Jazz history, including ...