Jakob Poeltl (sometimes spelled Jakob Pöltl; ; 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 (appro ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, 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 in the Unite ...

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

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, 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 (NABC) since 2000. It is presented to the best low-post player each season. The award is named after Pete Newell, the coach who ran the Pete Newell ...

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

2016 NBA draft The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

, 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

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 Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, 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 Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

in 2013–14.

College recruitment

Pöltl was relatively unknown in the United States until the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The FIBA U18 EuroBasket is the new name for the FIBA U18 European Championship, originally known as the FIBA European Championship for Juniors. It is a men's youth basketball competition that was inaugurated with the 1964 edition. It was held bi ...

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

assistant Andy Hill went to the tournament, held in

Strumica Strumica (, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedonian (PDF) in so ...

, largely to scout potential prospects from other teams; he only saw

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

's opening game against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

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

in the United States. 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 division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

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. Also I think I wasn't ready for 100 percent professional basketball at that time.

In 2014, Pöltl committed to

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

to play college basketball, in large part due to the relationship he had developed with their coaching staff. Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak 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 and are typi ...

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 A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

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 The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

, 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

, becoming the first Austrian to be drafted to the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. During his rookie season, Pöltl received multiple assignments to Raptors 905, Toronto's G-League 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, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. 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 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 six-time NBA All-Star, All-Star and a six- ...

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 (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. 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 ter ...

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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. 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 Northwest Division (N ...

Return to Toronto (2023-present)

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

in exchange for Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick, reuniting with his longtime friend and fellow draftee

Pascal Siakam Pascal Siakam ( ; born 2 April 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team, All-NBA selection, he won an NBA champ ...

. 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. On July 6, 2023, Pöltl re-signed with the Raptors on a multi-year deal. On November 16, 2024, Pöltl scored a career-high 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting in a 126–123 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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

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

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 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;"rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 26 , , 25 , , 27.2 , , .652 , , — , , .569 , , 9.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 50 , , 26.4 , , .656 , , — , , .551 , , 8.6 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 56 , , 29.6 , , .627 , , .333 , , .674 , , 9.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , 14.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 595 , , 341 , , 22.4 , , .631 , , .429 , , .555 , , 7.0 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 8.9

Playoffs

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

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

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

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

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

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

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, 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

References in popular culture

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

Wordle ''Wordle'' is a web-based word game created and developed by the Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle. In the game, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, receiving feedback through colored tiles that indicate correct letters a ...

'' titled ''Poeltl'' was released. In the game, which is named after Pöltl, players try to guess a daily NBA Player based on their silhouette in a maximum of eight tries.

References

External links

Utah Utes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poltl, Jakob 1995 births Living people 21st-century Austrian sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players Austrian expatriate basketball people in the United States Austrian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Austrian men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Power forwards 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

Playoffs

College

References in popular culture

See also

References

External links