How Mark Eaton was able to thrive in the NBA thanks to Wilt Chamberlain

How Mark Eaton was able to thrive in the NBA thanks to Wilt Chamberlain

The story of All-Star and Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton is as inspirational as it gets. Eaton wasn’t talented at a young age, so he was a reserve on his high school basketball team. After graduation, Mark started to work as an auto mechanic. Still, at the age of 21, he was discovered by an assistant coach at Cypress College, who talked Eaton into playing basketball, so Eaton committed to the community college.

He soon transferred to play basketball for the UCLA Bruins, and the Utah Jazz selected him in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA Draft. Eaton didn’t have a lot of confidence, though, after joining the NBA. It everything changed after a single conversation with the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.

“I was thinking that maybe I just couldn’t play at this level and I was feeling sorry for myself. I feel a heavy hand on my shoulder at that precise moment, and it’s Wilt Chamberlain—possibly the greatest basketball player to have ever lived. A few years before he retired from the NBA, Wilt would come down every afternoon to watch the younger players work out.

Wilt told me, ‘You would never catch that man, young fellow, and more importantly, it’s not your job,’ to start with. You have to prevent players from getting here, he said me as he took me beneath the basket. Make them miss their shot, grab the rebound, pass it to the guard, release them to score on the other end. That’s your duty. It’s your responsibility to stroll down the halfcourt and observe the action. This was a fun portion for me. “I’ve been watching you, and I can tell you’re skilled on defense,” he remarked. You should concentrate on this.” Eaton stated.

Eaton Mark, CLNS

Mark’s conversation with Wilt the Stilt had inspired and motivated him more than before. He devoted himself to being a merciless defender after paying close attention to Chamberlain’s advice.

“Everything changed when Wilt told me that. I knew what had to be done. I realized my areas of expertise. I wasn’t particularly quick or skilled at scoring, but I was outstanding at keeping others from scoring. Wilt Chamberlain was required to recognize it. I gave up attempting to accomplish everything and instead concentrated on one thing I was really good at. I continued on to become one of the NBA’s best defensive players.”

Eaton’s favorite meal was defense; in the 1984–85 season, he tallied up 456 blocks as a shot-blocking monster. In the NBA, that record still stands. At 5.56 blocks each game, Eaton also has the highest average. In addition to making the Utah Jazz a contender in 1989, his defensive performances also helped him earn an All-Star selection.

The power of a single interaction to alter someone’s fate is fascinating. Players are frequently seen cruising the league when all of a sudden everything clicks. Similar to what happened with Mark Eaton, it’s frequently about figuring out who you are as a player—what you excel at and what you don’t. Players are frequently asked to be the stars in their roles by their coaches, but sometimes it takes a quote from the greatest to realize what that job actually entails.