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Nate Thurmond

Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and power forward positions.[1] Thurmond was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record an official quadruple-double. In 1965, he grabbed 42 rebounds in a game; only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell recorded more rebounds in an NBA game. Thurmond was named a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985, one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History,[2] and part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.[3]

Nate Thurmond
Thurmond with the Warriors in 1969
Personal information
Born(1941-07-25)July 25, 1941
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2016(2016-07-16) (aged 74)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolCentral (Akron, Ohio)
CollegeBowling Green (1960–1963)
NBA draft1963: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the San Francisco Warriors
Playing career1963–1977
PositionCenter / power forward
Number42
Career history
1963–1974San Francisco / Golden State Warriors
1974–1975Chicago Bulls
1975–1977Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points14,437 (15.0 ppg)
Rebounds14,464 (15.0 rpg)
Assists2,575 (2.7 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Basketball Hall of Fame
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Known to fans as "Nate the Great",[4] Thurmond has had his No. 42 jersey retired by both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.[5]

Early life and college

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Thurmond grabbing a rebound while at Bowling Green

Thurmond started at Akron's Central High School, where he played alongside fellow future NBA star Gus Johnson.[6] Passing up a scholarship offer from Ohio State to avoid becoming a backup to Jerry Lucas, a high school rival, Thurmond chose to play college basketball at Bowling Green.[7]

Thurmond led the Mid-American Conference in rebounds during all three of his varsity seasons (with a college career average of 17.0 rebounds per game),[7] and was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1963.[8] In Thurmond's last two years with Bowling Green, he helped lead the team into the NCAA Tournament and he set a school record with 31 rebounds in his final college game.[7]

Professional career

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San Francisco/Golden State Warriors

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Thurmond was drafted 3rd overall by the San Francisco Warriors (now known as the Golden State Warriors) in the 1963 NBA draft. As a rookie, he mainly played a supporting role alongside Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain. Thurmond averaged 7 points and 10.4 rebounds in his first NBA season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1964.[6]

After Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the next season, Thurmond blossomed into a highly productive starting center for the Warriors. Among his many accomplishments Thurmond set a regular-season record for rebounds in a quarter with 18,[6] and averaged 21.3 and 22.0 rebounds per game in the 1966–67 and 1967–68 seasons.[4] Thurmond placed second to Chamberlain in the MVP balloting in the 1966–67 season,[9] averaged over 20 points per game each season from 1967–68 through 1971–72, and played in seven NBA All-Star Games as a member of the Warriors.[4]

Thurmond also gained a fearsome defensive reputation in the NBA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar called Thurmond the toughest defender he ever faced during his 20-season professional career.[10] NBA All-Star center Bob Rule recalled Thurmond blocking six of his seven shots during the first half of their first encounter. After his coach urged him to "Keep putting 'em up. He can't block 'em all", Rule responded "Yeah, well if I hadn't made that layup it would have been all of 'em."[11]

In spite of the contributions of star teammates like Rick Barry and Thurmond's stalwart play at center, the Warriors were unable to win a championship. They reached the 1967 NBA Finals, but lost to Chamberlain's 76ers.[6]

Chicago Bulls

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A 33-year-old Thurmond was acquired by the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Clifford Ray and $100,000 prior to the 1974–75 season on September 3, 1974. The Bulls had felt a need for one starting center rather than continue with a three-man rotation of Ray, Tom Boerwinkle and Dennis Awtrey. The Warriors added more fiscal stability when completing the deal.[12] On October 18, 1974, against the Atlanta Hawks, in his debut as a Bull, he recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots, becoming the first player in NBA history to officially record a quadruple-double[6] (blocked shots were not counted before 1973–74).[13]

Cleveland Cavaliers

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Thirteen games into the 1975–76 season, Thurmond was traded along with Rowland Garrett to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Steve Patterson and Eric Fernsten on November 27, 1975. Thurmond's mobility on the court failed to mesh with an offense built for a more stationary center, resulting in diminished playing time on a team enduring a nine-game losing streak at the time of the deal.[14] In Cleveland, the now 35-year-old Thurmond came off the bench for the injured Jim Chones to lead Cleveland's "Miracle at Richfield" team to the NBA Eastern Conference finals before the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in 1976.[10]

A role player reduced to limited minutes and mid-single digit scoring and rebounds, Thurmond retired at the end of the 1976–77 season.

Personal life

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Thurmond at the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 19, 2015

After retirement, Thurmond returned to San Francisco and opened a restaurant, Big Nate's BBQ.[15] He sold the restaurant after 20 years, while living in San Francisco with his wife, Marci. As of 2019, the Chase Center, home venue for the Golden State Warriors, features a Big Nate's BBQ kiosk with dishes that pay homage to his career.[16]

He was given the title "Warriors Legend & Ambassador" by the Warriors organization.[17]

Thurmond died on July 16, 2016, nine days away from his 75th birthday, after a short battle with leukemia.[18] During the 2016–17 season, the Warriors paid homage to Thurmond by patching his number to their jerseys.

Statistical accomplishments

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First player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double in a game:[2] Chicago Bulls (120) vs. Atlanta Hawks (115), October 18, 1974 (OT)[13]

  • 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocked shots[13]
  • The game was Thurmond's debut with the Chicago Bulls.[13]
  • Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson are the only other players to achieve a quadruple-double. Blocked shots were not recorded prior to 1973-74[13]

One of five players in NBA history to average at least 15 rebounds per game for his career: 15.0[19] (14,464/964)[4]

One of five players in NBA history to average at least 20 rebounds per game during a season: 21.3 (1966–67), 22.0 (1967–68)[4]

One of four players in NBA history to record 40 or more rebounds in a game: 42, vs. Detroit Pistons, November 9, 1965[21]

NBA regular season record for rebounds in a quarter: 18, at Baltimore Bullets, February 28, 1965[6]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1963–64 San Francisco 76 — 25.9 .395 — .549 10.4 1.1 — — 7.0
1964–65 San Francisco 77 — 41.2 .419 — .658 18.1 2.0 — — 16.5
1965–66 San Francisco 73 — 39.6 .406 — .654 18.0 1.5 — — 16.3
1966–67 San Francisco 65 — 42.5 .437 — .629 21.3 2.6 — — 18.7
1967–68 San Francisco 51 — 43.6 .411 — .644 22.0 4.2 — — 20.5
1968–69 San Francisco 71 — 45.2 .410 — .615 19.7 3.6 — — 21.5
1969–70 San Francisco 43 — 44.6 .414 — .754 17.7 3.5 — — 21.9
1970–71 San Francisco 82 — 40.9 .445 — .730 13.8 3.1 — — 20.0
1971–72 Golden State 78 — 43.1 .432 — .743 16.1 2.9 — — 21.4
1972–73 Golden State 79 — 43.3 .446 — .718 17.1 3.5 — — 17.1
1973–74 Golden State 62 — 39.7 .444 — .666 14.2 2.7 .7 2.9 13.0
1974–75 Chicago 80 — 34.5 .364 — .589 11.3 4.1 .6 2.4 7.9
1975–76 Chicago 13 — 20.0 .444 — .444 5.5 2.0 .3 .9 3.7
1975–76 Cleveland 65 — 17.4 .418 — .514 5.3 1.0 .3 1.3 4.6
1976–77 Cleveland 49 — 20.3 .407 — .642 7.6 1.7 .3 1.7 5.5
Career 964 — 37.2 .421 — .667 15.0 2.7 .5 2.1 15.0
All-Star 5 2 20.8 .326 — .375 8.8 .4 .0 .0 6.2

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1964 San Francisco 12 — 34.2 .438 — .679 12.3 .8 — — 10.0
1967 San Francisco 15 — 46.0 .433 — .571 23.1 3.1 — — 15.9
1969 San Francisco 6 — 43.8 .392 — .588 19.5 4.7 — — 16.7
1971 San Francisco 5 — 38.4 .371 — .800 10.2 3.0 — — 17.6
1972 Golden State 5 — 46.0 .434 — .750 17.8 5.2 — — 25.4
1973 Golden State 11 — 41.8 .398 — .800 13.2 3.6 — — 14.5
1975 Chicago 13 — 19.5 .368 — .486 6.7 2.4 .4 1.6 3.5
1976 Cleveland 13 — 28.8 .468 — .406 9.0 2.2 .5 2.2 6.7
1977 Cleveland 1 — 1.0 — — — 1.0 .0 .0 1.0 .0
Career 81 — 35.5 .416 — .621 13.6 2.8 .4 1.9 11.9

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brown, Daniel (July 16, 2016). "Nate Thurmond dead at 74; Warriors legend battled leukemia". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "In era of great centers, Nate Thurmond was among the best". ESPN. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  3. ^ nba.com/75
  4. ^ a b c d e "Nate Thurmond NBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  5. ^ "NBA legend Nate Thurmond dies at 74". FoxNews.com. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Nate Thurmond Bio". NBA.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Musselman, Ron (March 13, 2005). "Nate the Great: Thurmond was BG's best and among elite in NBA". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  8. ^ "Nate Thurmond, Bowling Green". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "1966-67 NBA Awards Voting". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Livingston, Bill (July 16, 2016), "Nate Thurmond, defensive star of Miracle of Richfield Cavaliers, dies", The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com, archived from the original on April 27, 2023
  11. ^ "With RCC honor, Rule revisits memory lane". Press-Enterprise. October 19, 2011. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Chicago Acquires Nate Thurmond; For Clifford Ray and Cash". Schenectady Gazette. September 4, 1974. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2016 – via Google News.
  13. ^ a b c d e Granderson, LZ (March 11, 2009). "Will the NBA ever produce another quadruple-double?". ESPN Page 2. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  14. ^ Logan, Bob. "Nate goes to Cavs, Bulls get Patterson; Pick up Marin from Braves", Chicago Tribune, November 28, 1975.[dead link‍]
  15. ^ Lucchesi, Paolo (December 27, 2011). "Big Nate's BBQ closes; CatHead's BBQ en route". SFGate. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  16. ^ Guerrero, Susana (August 26, 2019). "These Bay Area food favorites will be available at the Chase Center. The regularly played on basketball courts in Golden Gate park is named after the Warriors legend". SF Chronicle. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  17. ^ Whiting, Sam (March 3, 2013). "Big Nate Thurmond a center of attention". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  18. ^ "Warriors Legend and Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond Passes Away at Age of 74". NBA.com. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Rebounds Per Game". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  20. ^ "NBA & ABA Single Season Leaders and Records for Rebounds Per Game". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  21. ^ Weir, Tom (November 9, 2011). "Daily NBA fix: The night Nate Thurmond had 42 rebounds". USA Today. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  22. ^ Shouler, Ken (July 16, 2016). "Emerging from Wilt's shadow, Nate Thurmond became an all-time great". ESPN. Retrieved July 17, 2016.

Further reading

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  • Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-577-1.
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