Jakob Poeltl

Jakob Pöltl is an Austrian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Utah Utes.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Jakob Pöltl was born on October 15, 1995, in Vienna, Austria. He stands 213 cm tall and his weight is listed at 118 kg. Pöltl shoots right-handed and is a center.

Both his parents were members of the Austrian national volleyball teams. His parents opted for basketball for their son because there was a youth basketball program near their Vienna home during his childhood.

Youth Career and College Career

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 in 2013–14.

Pöltl played college basketball for the University of Utah from 2014 to 2016. In his sophomore year, he was a consensus Second-Team All-American, and won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and Pete Newell Big Man Award as the top collegiate center and low-post player, respectively.

Professional Career

After his sophomore season, Pöltl declared for the 2016 NBA Draft, where he was selected 9th overall by the Toronto Raptors. He split time between the Raptors and their G League affiliate Raptors 905 during his rookie season.

In July 2018, Pöltl was traded to the San Antonio Spurs along with DeMar DeRozan in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.

He played five seasons with the Spurs from 2018 to 2023.

In February 2023, Pöltl was traded back to the Raptors. As of June 2024, he remains with the Raptors.

Career Highlights

• 2016 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
• 2016 - Pete Newell Big Man Award
• 2016 - Consensus second-team All-American
• 2016 - First-team All-Pac-12
• 2016 - Pac-12 Player of the Year
• 2015 - Pac-12 All-Freshman team