Marcus Terrell Thornton (born June 5, 1987) is an American 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, who most recently played for the

Motor City Cruise The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play a ...

of the

NBA G 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 ...

. He played college basketball for

Kilgore College Kilgore College (KC) is a public community college in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment in excess of 5,000 students and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate deg ...

and

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

before being drafted in the second round of the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

by the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

. He has played in 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 ...

for the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

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 ...

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

and

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 ...

College career

Thornton played two years at

, a junior college in

Kilgore, Texas Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United Sta ...

. As a freshman in 2005–06, he averaged 14.5 points while shooting at 65 percent from the field. He averaged 26.9 points in his second season at Kilgore in 2006–07, earning first-team Junior College All-American honors and MVP honors for Region XIV. Following his sophomore season, Thornton transferred to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. As a junior in 2007–08 playing for the Tigers, he averaged 19.6 points (second in the SEC) and shot 81.7 percent from the free-throw line, the second-best percentage in the conference. As a senior in 2008–09, he averaged 21.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, subsequently earning the 2009

Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year The Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an award given to the player who has proven himself, throughout the season, to be the most exceptional talent in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The school with the most SEC Play ...

. In two seasons at LSU, he finished with 1,347 points, 21st all-time and with a 20.4 scoring average, he ranked sixth all-time. He also finished eighth in school history with 168 three-pointers.

Professional career

New Orleans Hornets (2009–2011)

Thornton was selected with the 43rd overall pick by the

in the

, but his rights were traded to the

. On February 23, 2010, in a loss to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, he tied a Hornets' franchise record for points scored by a rookie (37), and set a franchise record for points in a quarter (23) and points off the bench (previous, 33,

Dell Curry Wardell Stephen Curry (born June 25, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1986 until 2002 and retired as the Charlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points (9,839) ...

). His 37 points also tied for the third most points by an NBA rookie off the bench since the 1976–77 season. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2009–10 after averaging 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 25.6 minutes per game in 73 games (started 17) with New Orleans. He also set a franchise rookie record with 117 three-pointers in a season.

Sacramento Kings (2011–2014)

On February 23, 2011, Thornton was traded to the

in exchange for

Carl Landry Carl Christopher Landry (born September 19, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. The , all-conference power forward played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers from 2004 to 2007. He is the older brother of Marcus L ...

. On March 14, 2011, he scored a career-high 42 points 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 ...

. In the

lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...

-shortened 2011–12 season, Thornton averaged a team-leading 18.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 34.9 minutes in starting all 51 games he played in. On January 24, 2014, Thornton tied his career-high of 42 points in an overtime loss to 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 ...

Brooklyn Nets (2014)

On February 19, 2014, Thornton was traded to the

in exchange for

Jason Terry Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...

and

Reggie Evans Reggie is a given name, usually a short form of the name Reginald. It may refer to: People * Reggie Bonnafon (born 1996), American football player * Reggie Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Reggie Bush (born 1985), National Football L ...

. His best game for the Nets came on March 9, as he scored 27 points in a win over the Kings.

Boston Celtics (2014–2015)

On July 10, 2014, Thornton was traded to the

in a three-team deal involving the Nets and the

. On December 7, he scored a season-high 21 points in the Celtics' 101–93 win over the Washington Wizards.

Phoenix Suns (2015)

On February 19, 2015, Thornton was traded, along with a 2016 first-round pick, to the

in exchange for Isaiah Thomas. He completed the 2014–15 season with the Suns playing in just nine games. He did not manage game time in 18 of a possible 27 games with the Suns, largely thanks to an Achilles' tendon injury and being a non-rotation player on a non-playoff team.

Houston Rockets (2015–2016)

On July 25, 2015, Thornton signed with the

. On December 8, he scored a season-high 32 points in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. On February 18, 2016, Thornton and

Donatas Motiejūnas Donatas Motiejūnas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before going on ...

were traded to 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 ...

in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and 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 ...

. However, four days later, the Pistons rescinded their trade following a failed physical by Motiejūnas. Thornton didn't play again following his return to Houston, and on February 26, he was waived by the Rockets.

Washington Wizards (2016–2017)

On March 9, 2016, Thornton signed with the

. Two days later, he made his debut with the Wizards in a 114–93 loss to 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), ...

, recording two points, one assist and one steal in 20 minutes off the bench. On July 28, 2016, Thornton re-signed with the Wizards. On February 22, 2017, Thornton was traded, along with Andrew Nicholson and a 2017 first round draft pick, to the

in exchange for

Bojan Bogdanović Bojan Bogdanović (; born 18 April 1989) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. Standing at , he plays t ...

and Chris McCullough. He was waived by the Nets the next day.

Grand Rapids Drive (2017–2018)

On December 13, 2017, Thornton was acquired by the

Grand Rapids Drive The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim ...

of the G-League.

Beijing Ducks (2018)

On February 4, 2018, Thornton signed with the

Beijing Ducks The Beijing Shougang Ducks (''simplified Chinese'': 北京首钢鸭俱乐部篮球队), also known as Beijing Shougang or Beijing Ducks, are a professional basketball team based in Beijing, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chi ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

Return to the Drive (2018–2019)

On December 11, 2018, Thornton was reacquired by the

of the G-League. On March 3, 2019, Thornton scored 42 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in a 102-97 win over the Maine Red Claws.

Motor City Cruise (2022)

On January 8, 2022, Thornton was acquired via available player pool by the

of the

, but was waived on January 21, after appearing in only 4 games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 73 , , 17 , , 25.6 , , .451 , , .374 , , .814 , , 2.9 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 46 , , 0 , , 16.2 , , .410 , , .376 , , .758 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 27 , , 23 , , 38.1 , , .450 , , .361 , , .805 , , 4.7 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 51 , , 51 , , 34.9 , , .438 , , .345 , , .865 , , 3.7 , , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 72 , , 8 , , 24.0 , , .429 , , .372 , , .881 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 46 , , 26 , , 24.4 , , .381 , , .318 , , .808 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 26 , , 1 , , 23.8 , , .414 , , .380 , , .800 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 39 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .416 , , .419 , , .824 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .325 , , .105 , , .800 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , .7 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 47 , , 6 , , 18.8 , , .400 , , .338 , , .879 , , 2.4 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .1 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 14 , , 2 , , 16.0 , , .393 , , .333 , , .762 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 1 , , 17.4 , , .400 , , .350 , , .852 , , 2.3 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 483 , , 135 , , 23.4 , , .425 , , .358 , , .830 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .1 , , 11.9

Playoffs

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

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

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

, 10 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .389 , , .238 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 10 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .389 , , .238 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 5.9

Personal life

Thornton's fiancée, Lyndsey Duplessis, gave birth to their first child on January 1, 2016, a daughter named Maleia. Thornton is a cousin of former NBA player

Al Thornton Willie Alford Thornton (born December 7, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player for Club Atlético Aguada of the Liga Uruguaya de Basketball. He had formerly played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards and the Gold ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Marcus 1987 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Basketball players from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Beijing Ducks players Boston Celtics players Brooklyn Nets players Grand Rapids Drive players Houston Rockets players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Kilgore College alumni LSU Tigers basketball players Miami Heat draft picks New Orleans Hornets players Phoenix Suns players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Washington Wizards players 20th-century African-American people