Thomas Edward Jordan (born May 23, 1968) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, whose club career spanned from 1988 to 2003.
College career
Jordan played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. He was ineligible as a
freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ara ...
in 1987–88, and in his
sophomore
In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...
year, he averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Jordan's decision to leave college early to play professionally was due to a lack of team chemistry.
[
Jordan said that he never "enjoyed" basketball, he only "played it."] He used the sport as a means to get a free college education, and any desires of playing professionally was not necessarily his goal.[ In October 1998, Jordan said, "If the air blew up the ball, I'm not going to cry. Don't get me wrong, I won't turn down a pro career if that comes, but I'm not counting on it."][
]
Professional career
After his sophomore year of college, Jordan began a pro club career. He played professionally for 14 years, in six countries, which included time spent playing 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 S ...
. In April 1993, Jordan was signed as a free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by 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 ...
, and he played in the final four games of the 1992–93 season, averaging 11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Thomas
1968 births
Living people
AEK B.C. players
American expatriate basketball people in Argentina
American expatriate basketball people in Greece
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Latvia
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
Atenas basketball players
Baloncesto Superior Nacional players
Basketball players from Baltimore
Cangrejeros de Santurce basketball players
Cantabria Baloncesto players
CB Valladolid players
CB Zaragoza players
Eczacıbaşı S.K. (men's basketball) players
Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata basketball players
Libertad de Sunchales basketball players
Liga ACB players
Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players
Olimpia Milano players
Pagrati B.C. players
Philadelphia 76ers players
Power forwards (basketball)
Saski Baskonia players
S.S. Felice Scandone players
Trabzonspor B.K. players
Undrafted National Basketball Association players