Otis Henry Thorpe (born August 5, 1962) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who played for several teams in 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 St ...

(NBA). He was an

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

in 1992 and won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

with the Houston Rockets in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

Early years

Thorpe graduated in 1980 from

Lake Worth Community High School Lake Worth Community High School is a public high school located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Established in 1922 as Lake Worth High School, it is currently one of Palm Beach County's largest schools. The Palm Beach County School Board added ...

in Florida. He played college ball at Providence College. He had the longest NBA career of any former Friars player. He ranks seventh all-time at the school in rebounds and was the school's first First-Team Big East player. During his tenure at Providence College he was also a two-time Honorable Mention All-America selection.

NBA career

Kansas City/Sacramento Kings

Thorpe was drafted by the

Kansas City 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 (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division ( ...

as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft. In 1985, the Kings relocated to Sacramento. During the 1987-88 NBA season, Thorpe averaged career-highs of 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. That year, in perhaps his best game of the season, Thorpe nearly missed a

triple-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 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Thorpe was traded to the Houston Rockets for Rodney McCray and

Jim Petersen James Richard Petersen (born February 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player, and a current television analyst with the Minnesota Timberwolves. From 2009 to 2017 he served as an assistant coach and later associate head coac ...

in 1989.

Houston Rockets

While with the Rockets, Thorpe made an All-Star appearance in 1992. Thorpe played in 542 consecutive games between 1986 and 1992 and, at one time, held the longest streak of consecutive games played in the NBA. On December 7, 1993, Thorpe scored a career-high 40 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets. That season, Thorpe was an integral part of the Houston Rockets' trip to the

1994 NBA Finals The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference cham ...

and subsequent first NBA Championship. Halfway through the next season, the Rockets realized that they were struggling and needed a change. The team sent Thorpe 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 ...

in a deal for

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...

and

Tracy Murray Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, C ...

. He holds the Rockets' all-time record for the highest field goal accuracy (55.9%).

Portland Trail Blazers

Thorpe would only play 34 games for the Blazers before moving on to occupy the starting front court for 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 L ...

(who acquired him in a package for

Randolph Childress Randolph Childress (born September 21, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. He is formerly an assistant coach for his alma mater, Wake Forest University. College career Childress played collegiately at Wake Forest University ...

and Bill Curley) for the next two years.

Vancouver Grizzlies

Before the start of the 1997–98 season, the Pistons dealt Thorpe to the

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...

for a conditional first-round draft pick which eventually conveyed to the Pistons as the second pick in the 2003 draft, Darko Miličić. Thorpe would play 47 games with the Grizzlies before returning to the Kings in a trade that sent

Bobby Hurley Robert Matthew Hurley (born June 28, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was previously the head coach at the University at Buffalo. As a college ...

and Michael Smith to Vancouver. ( Chris Robinson was also traded to the Kings as part of the deal.)

Bouncing around the league and career endings

In the offseason, he was traded (along with

Mitch Richmond Mitchell James Richmond III (born June 30, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. He played collegiately at Moberly Area Community College and Kansas State University. He was a six-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA Tea ...

) to 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 Southeast Division. The team plays ...

for

Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Drafted number one overall by the Orlando Magic, though arguably best known and remembered as the star forward for the Sacramento Ki ...

. He signed with 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 Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in 1999 and was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, along with

Rodney Buford Rodney Alan "The Sheriff" Buford (born November 2, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for the Creighton Blue ...

, P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, and Tim James in a deal for Anthony Mason,

Ricky Davis Tyree Ricardo Davis (born September 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for University of Iowa. Biography Davis atten ...

Dale Ellis Dale or dales may refer to: Locations * Dale (landform), an open valley * Dale (place name element) Geography ;Australia *The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean ;Canada *Dale, Ontario ;Ethiopia *Dale (woreda), district ;Norway *Da ...

, and Eddie Jones. When Thorpe finished his last game in 2001, he was the last remaining member of the

to retire. Thorpe holds career averages of 14.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He finished his career with over 17,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in the NBA.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 82 , , 23 , , 23.4 , , .600 , , .000 , , .620 , , 6.8 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .5 , , 12.8 , - , 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 ...

, 75 , , 18 , , 22.3 , , .587 , , - , , .661 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , 9.9 , - , 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 ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 36.0 , , .540 , , .000 , , .761 , , 10.0 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .7 , , 18.9 , - , 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 ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.5 , , .507 , , .000 , , .755 , , 10.2 , , 3.2 , , .8 , , .7 , , 20.8 , - , 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 i ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 38.2 , , .542 , , .000 , , .729 , , 9.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.9 , , .548 , , .000 , , .688 , , 9.0 , , 3.2 , , .8 , , .3 , , 17.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.1 , , .556 , , .429 , , .696 , , 10.3 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , .2 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.3 , , .592 , , .000 , , .657 , , 10.5 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .5 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 69 , , 32.7 , , .558 , , .000 , , .598 , , 8.2 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.5 , , .561 , , .000 , , .657 , , 10.6 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 35 , , 33.0 , , .563 , , .000 , , .528 , , 8.9 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 34 , , 0 , , 26.7 , , .568 , , .000 , , .649 , , 6.9 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 34.6 , , .530 , , .000 , , .710 , , 8.4 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 33.7 , , .532 , , .000 , , .653 , , 7.9 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .2 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, 47 , , 46 , , 33.5 , , .477 , , .000 , , .694 , , 7.9 , , 3.4 , , .6 , , .5 , , 11.2 , - , 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 , , 20 , , 23.1 , , .459 , , .000 , , .657 , , 6.1 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 8.3 , - , 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 ...

, 49 , , 38 , , 31.4 , , .545 , , .000 , , .698 , , 6.8 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 51 , , 1 , , 15.2 , , .514 , , .000 , , .604 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 49 , , 4 , , 13.2 , , .450 , , - , , .833 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 1,257 , , 989 , , 31.7 , , .546 , , .047 , , .687 , , 8.2 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , 14.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , 1.000 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , 2.0

Playoffs

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

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

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

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 11.7 , , .231 , , - , , .462 , , 4.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 38.0 , , .649 , , - , , .762 , , 5.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 41.0 , , .600 , , - , , .684 , , 8.3 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 38.7 , , .579 , , - , , .500 , , 8.3 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .0 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

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

, 12 , , 12 , , 34.9 , , .635 , , - , , .651 , , 8.6 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 23 , , 37.1 , , .572 , , .500 , , .567 , , 9.9 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .4 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 3 , , 0 , , 22.0 , , .571 , , - , , .700 , , 4.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 33.7 , , .542 , , - , , .750 , , 11.7 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

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

, 5 , , 5 , , 30.4 , , .512 , , - , , .778 , , 6.4 , , .8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

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

, 10 , , 0 , , 13.6 , , .481 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .0 , , .2 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2001 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 7.1 , , .222 , , - , , - , , 2.1 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 78 , , 54 , , 28.9 , , .569 , , .333 , , .631 , , 7.0 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 10.1

References

External links

Providence Friars bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Otis 1962 births Living people 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball players from Florida Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Detroit Pistons players Houston Rockets players Kansas City Kings draft picks Kansas City Kings players Miami Heat players National Basketball Association All-Stars Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) Providence Friars men's basketball players Sacramento Kings players Sportspeople from Boynton Beach, Florida Vancouver Grizzlies players 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early years

NBA career

Kansas City/Sacramento Kings

Houston Rockets

Portland Trail Blazers

Vancouver Grizzlies

Bouncing around the league and career endings

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links