Gregory Donovan Ostertag (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He spent most of his career with the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA). He played college basketball at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
.
High school career
Ostertag starred at
Duncanville High School
Duncanville High School is a secondary school located in Duncanville, Texas, United States, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The school is a part of Duncanville Independent School District.
The school includes grades 9 through 12. The high school ...
in Duncanville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. He averaged 22.5 points and 13 rebounds per game during his senior season, and capped the year by leading the Panthers to the 1991 state championship, the first-ever for the school's boys basketball team.
College career
After his successful high school career, Ostertag joined the basketball team at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
. Standing 7-foot-2 and weighing 280 pounds, Ostertag provided a strong presence in the paint, helping the Jayhawks reach the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Final Four in 1993. Statistically, his best season was his junior year (1993–94), when he averaged 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Most impressive, he set a school record by blocking 97 shots that year. He graduated in 1995 with career totals of 968 points and 770 rebounds, along with 258 blocked shots – the highest total in the history of Kansas and the
Big 8 Conference
The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...
at that time (since surpassed by
Jeff Withey).
Professional career
Utah Jazz (1995–2004)
The
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
selected Ostertag with the 28th pick in the first round of the
1995 NBA draft
The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams, Toronto Raptors and Vancouve ...
. The Jazz hoped he could fill a void in the team's defense created by the retirement of
Mark Eaton
Mark Edward Eaton (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he wa ...
a few seasons earlier. Ostertag saw limited action in his rookie year, but emerged as Utah's starting center during his second season. The Jazz made back-to-back appearances in the
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
in 1997 and 1998, with Ostertag providing strong defense in the playoffs against the likes of
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Ass ...
,
David Robinson
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...
,
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...
, and
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
.
Envisioning him as a potentially dominant defender in the future, the Jazz signed Ostertag to a long-term contract extension worth $39 million over six years. However, throughout the remainder of his career, Ostertag struggled with poor physical conditioning and inconsistent play, much to the chagrin of his coaches and teammates. Also, he constantly frustrated Jazz fans with his clumsiness and lack of skill on offense.
Nevertheless, Ostertag made valuable contributions to the team on the defensive side of the floor, providing size and intimidation in the paint. He never played full starter-level minutes, thus hindering his overall statistical totals, but he was one of the most efficient shot-blockers in the league during his career. He led the NBA in blocked shot percentage twice (in 2000 and 2002) and was particularly good at gaining possession of the ball after blocking a shot.
Sacramento Kings (2004–2005)
Ostertag's contract expired in 2004, making him a free agent in the league. After nine seasons in Utah, he joined the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
.
Return to Utah (2005–2006)
Ostertag played one year in Sacramento, before the Kings sent him back to Utah in a "mega-trade" that involved five teams and 13 players—the largest trade in NBA history. Ostertag played one final season (
2005-06) with the Jazz, seeing limited action. He played his final game on April 19, 2006, a home contest against the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
. Having previously announced his retirement, and that game being the last of the season, Ostertag received a standing ovation from Jazz fans. He played 3:36 in the game, all in the first quarter. Fittingly, he blocked a shot and grabbed a rebound—and missed two free throws. The Jazz won the game, giving the team a final record of 41-41 for the year, ensuring that Ostertag retired having never played for a losing team for his entire NBA career.
Texas Legends (2011–2012)
In December 2011, Ostertag returned to professional basketball. He signed with the
Texas Legends
The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado 14 ...
of the
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
. However, after playing 10 games with the Legends, he ended his comeback due to knee injury.
Off the court
In 2002, Ostertag donated a
kidney
The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...
to save the life of his sister Amy (Hall) Ostertag, who was dying of complications from type 1 diabetes; upon his return he became the first player in NBA history to play after donating an organ.
[Greg Ostertag player profile at NBA.com]
. He has since been an advocate of
organ donation
Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or dead with the assent of the next of kin.
Donation may be for re ...
.
Ostertag lives on a small cattle farm in
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
, Texas with his wife Shannon. They have one child, daughter Charlestynn (born in 2013). Ostertag also has three children from a previous marriage, son Cody (born in 1993), daughter Bailey (born in 1997), and daughter Shelby (born in 1999).
Ostertag is the co-founder of The Ostertag Group, an umbrella company that owns and operates ML Edwards & Co, Watermelon Mills Coffeehouse, and Ostertag Construction. Ostertag is also a licensed Realtor® with Century 21 Harvey Properties.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Ostertag's NBA Draft History Page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostertag, Greg
1973 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Dallas
Centers (basketball)
Duncanville High School alumni
Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players
Organ transplant donors
People from Duncanville, Texas
People from Mount Vernon, Texas
Sacramento Kings players
Texas Legends players
Utah Jazz draft picks
Utah Jazz players