Jakob Pöltl (sometimes spelled Jakob Poeltl; ; born October 15, 1995) is an Austrian 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 for the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

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 In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...

. In his sophomore year for the Utes, Pöltl was a consensus second-team All-American, and won the

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...

and

Pete Newell Big Man Award The Pete Newell Big Man Award has been awarded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 2000. It is presented to the top low-post player each season. The award is named after Pete Newell, the coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man C ...

as the top collegiate center and low-post player, respectively. After the season, he declared for the 2016 NBA draft, where the

selected him in the first round with the ninth overall pick. He was traded to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

in July 2018. After five seasons with the team he was traded back to the Raptors in February 2023.

Early life

Pöltl was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. Both his parents were members of the Austrian national

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

teams. His parents opted for basketball for their son because there was a youth basketball program near their Vienna home during his childhood. Pöltl played seven years in the youth program of Vienna DC Timberwolves. He played one year for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of the

Austrian Bundesliga The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...

in 2013–14.

College recruitment

Pöltl was relatively unknown in the United States until the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The FIBA U18 European Championship, originally known as the European Championship for Juniors, is a youth men's basketball competition that was inaugurated with the 1964 edition. It was held biennially through the 2002 edition. From the 2004 e ...

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

assistant Andy Hill went to the tournament, held in Macedonia (now

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

), largely to scout potential prospects from other teams; he only saw Austria's opening game against the Netherlands because he vowed to watch all 38 teams in person. After seeing Pöltl's 15-rebound performance, Hill began sounding Pöltl out for potential interest in playing college basketball in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Pöltl went on to average a double-double in points and rebounds during the tournament and was named to the second all-tournament team, despite Austria going 1–6 and finishing 20th out of 22 teams in the second-level Division B. Pöltl began drawing interest from several

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

programs, forcing him to decide between a professional career and a U.S. college education. In a 2014 interview, Pöltl revealed part of his decision-making process:

If I went pro in Europe, I probably wouldn't have a chance to go to a university and get my degree. ... I could have basketball and an education at the same time
n the U.S. N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
Also I think I wasn't ready for 100 percent professional basketball at that time.

In 2014, Pöltl committed to

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

to play

, in large part due to the relationship he had developed with their coaching staff. Utah head coach

Larry Krystkowiak Larry Brett Krystkowiak ( ; born September 23, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player, and former head coach of the Utah Utes men's basketball team. Early life He was born in Missoula, Montana, to Bernard and Helen Krystkowia ...

was one of three Division I head coaches and two assistant coaches to travel to Vienna to recruit him in person, and made the trip of over 5,000 miles (8,000 km) twice. Pöltl was impressed that Krystkowiak made the effort to visit him in person, and was intrigued that the coach played

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

in the NBA and had a history of developing young big men.

College career

Pöltl became a starter in his first year, and in his first game he scored 18 points and had 10

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. During his second season in 2015–16, he was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

on February 11. On March 7, 2016, Pöltl was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and All-Pac-12 First Team. He was subsequently named the winner of both the

and the

. On April 13, 2016, Pöltl declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2016–2018)

On June 23, 2016, Pöltl was selected by the

with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, becoming the first Austrian to be drafted to the

NBA 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 St ...

. On July 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors. He made his debut for the Raptors in their season opener on October 26, 2016, becoming the first Austrian to play in the NBA. He finished with two points in 12:47 of court time in a 109–91 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

. During his rookie season, Pöltl received multiple assignments to

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, Ontario, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fi ...

, Toronto's

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate. On October 21, 2017, Pöltl scored a then career-high 14 points in a 128–94 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. On December 1, he made all eight of his field goal attempts and had a career-high 18 points in a 120–115 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. Pöltl ended the 2017–18 regular season having made 34 of his last 39 shots in the final eight games. He was also the only Raptors player to appear in all 82 regular-season contests.

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2023)

On July 18, 2018, Pöltl was traded, along with

DeMar DeRozan DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by the T ...

and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick, to the

in exchange for

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...

and Danny Green. In his debut for the Spurs in their season opener on October 17, 2018, Pöltl recorded four points, four rebounds and two assists in eight minutes in a 112–108 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. He made just his fifth career start and first since February 14, 2017, with Toronto. On February 25, 2022, Pöltl posted a career high 28 points along with 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks in a 157-153 win against the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

. On November 24, 2020, the

announced that they had re-signed Pöltl. On March 17, 2021, Pöltl logged his second consecutive

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

with 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 106–99 win over the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. On November 22, 2022, Pöltl scored a career-high 31 points during a 117–110 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

Return to Toronto (2023–present)

On February 9, 2023, Pöltl was traded back to the

in exchange for

Khem Birch Khem Xavier Birch (born September 28, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the UNLV Runnin' Rebe ...

, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. On February 14, Pöltl scored 30 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked six shots during a 133–123 win over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 54 , , 4 , , 11.6 , , .583 , , , , .544 , , 3.1 , , .2 , , .3 , , .4 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 0 , , 18.6 , , .659 , , .500 , , .594 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 77 , , 24 , , 16.5 , , .645 , , , , .533 , , 5.3 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .9 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 18 , , 17.7 , , .624 , , , , .465 , , 5.7 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , 1.4 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 51 , , 26.7 , , .616 , , — , , .508 , , 7.9 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , 1.8 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 67 , , 29.0 , , .618 , , 1.000 , , .495 , , 9.3 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 46 , , 46 , , 26.1 , , .616 , , .000 , , .605 , , 9.0 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 25 , , 27.2 , , .652 , , — , , .569 , , 9.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 13.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 488 , , 235 , , 21.1 , , .628 , , .500 , , .536 , , 6.5 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 8.1

Play-in

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 1 , , 1 , , 32.1 , , .667 , , , , .500 , , 10.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 5.0 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

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, 1 , , 1 , , 31.2 , , .700 , , , , .500 , , 9.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

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, 1 , , 1 , , 36.6 , , .750 , , , , .500 , , 8.0 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , , 7.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 3 , , 3 , , 33.3 , , .700 , , , , .500 , , 9.0 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , 2.7 , , 11.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 6 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .455 , , , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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, 9 , , 0 , , 15.6 , , .548 , , .000 , , .789 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , .4 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 25.3 , , .638 , , .000 , , .556 , , 7.7 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .7 , , 7.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 7 , , 15.6 , , .577 , , .000 , , .667 , , 4.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , .5, , 5.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 23.3 , , .681 , , .000 , , .444 , , 6.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.9 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 30.4 , , .646 , , , , .689 , , 9.1 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 1.6 , , 17.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 70 , , 70 , , 26.9 , , .658 , , .000 , , .605 , , 8.0 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.7 , , 13.3

Personal life

On February 25, 2022, a game similar to the word guessing game ''

Wordle ''Wordle'' is a Browser game, web-based word game created and developed by Welsh people, Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle, and owned and published by The New York Times Company since 2022. Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word ...

'' titled ''Poeltl'' was released. In the game which is named after Pöltl, players try to guess a daily NBA Player using only eight tries.

References

External links

Utah Utes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poltl, Jakob 1995 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Austrian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Austrian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Austrian men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Raptors 905 players San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Vienna Toronto Raptors draft picks Toronto Raptors players Traiskirchen Lions players Utah Utes men's basketball players

Early life

College recruitment

College career

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2016–2018)

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2023)

Return to Toronto (2023–present)

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Play-in

Playoffs

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links