Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American

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 spent the majority of his 14-year career 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) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

positions. Thurmond was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record an official

quadruple-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 ...

. In 1965, he grabbed 42 rebounds in a game; only

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

and

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...

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 The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...

, and part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Known to fans as "Nate the Great", Thurmond has had his No. 42 jersey retired by both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

High school and college career

Thurmond started at Akron's Central High School, where he played alongside fellow future NBA star Gus Johnson. Passing up a scholarship offer from

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

to avoid becoming a backup to

Jerry Lucas Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a p ...

, a high school rival, Thurmond chose to play college basketball at

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

. Thurmond led the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great L ...

in rebounds during all three of his varsity seasons (with a college career average of 17.0 rebounds per game), and was named a first-team All-American by ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' in 1963. 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.

NBA career

San Francisco/Golden State Warriors

Thurmond was drafted 3rd overall by the San Francisco Warriors (now known as the Golden State Warriors) in the

1963 NBA draft The 1963 NBA draft was the 17th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30 and May 7, 1963, before the 1963–64 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basket ...

. As a rookie, he mainly played a supporting role alongside Hall of Fame center

. Thurmond averaged 7 points and 10.4 rebounds in his first NBA season and was named to the

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

in 1964. 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, and averaged 21.3 and 22.0 rebounds per game in the 1966–67 and 1967–68 seasons. Thurmond placed second to Chamberlain in the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

balloting in the 1966–67 season, averaged over 20 points per game each season from 1967–68 through 1971–72, and played in seven

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...

s as a member of the Warriors. Thurmond also gained a fearsome defensive reputation in the NBA.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

called Thurmond the toughest defender he ever faced during his 20-season professional career. NBA All-Star center

Bob Rule Bobby Frank Rule (June 29, 1944 – September 5, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played at center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Seattle SuperSonics, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and th ...

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.” In spite of the contributions of star teammates like

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

and Thurmond's stalwart play at center, the Warriors were unable to win a championship. They reached the

1967 NBA Finals The 1967 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1966–67 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Confere ...

, but lost to Chamberlain's 76ers.

Chicago Bulls

A 33-year-old Thurmond was acquired by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

in exchange for

Clifford Ray Clifford Ray (born January 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball coach and player who is a consultant for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three of his ten seasons in the NBA with the Chi ...

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 Dennis Wade Awtrey (born February 22, 1948) is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'10" Center (basketball), center from Santa Clara University, Awtrey was drafted by the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers in 1970. He played in the leagu ...

. The Warriors added more fiscal stability when completing the deal. On October 18, 1974, against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, 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

(blocked shots were not counted before ).

Cleveland Cavaliers

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. In Cleveland, the now 35-year-old Thurmond came off the bench for the injured

Jim Chones James Bernett “Bunny” Chones (born November 30, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player, and current radio analyst for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A 6'11" forward/center, Chones starred at Marquette University, where he earne ...

to lead Cleveland's " Miracle at Richfield" team to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals before the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in 1976. 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

After retirement, Thurmond returned to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and opened a restaurant, Big Nate's BBQ. He sold the restaurant after 20 years, while living in San Francisco with his wife, Marci. As of 2019, the

Chase Center Chase Center is an indoor arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The building is the home venue for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and occasionally for the University of San ...

, home venue for the Golden State Warriors, features a Big Nate's BBQ kiosk with dishes that pay homage to his career. He was given the title "Warriors Legend & Ambassador" by the Warriors organization. Thurmond died on July 16, 2016, nine days away from his 75th birthday, after a short battle with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

. During the 2016–17 season, the Warriors paid homage to Thurmond by patching his number to their jerseys.

Statistical accomplishments

First player in NBA history to record a

in a game: Chicago Bulls (120) vs. Atlanta Hawks (115), (OT) *22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocked shots *The game was Thurmond's debut with the Chicago Bulls. *

Alvin Robertson Alvin Cyrrale Robertson (born July 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 1993, and for one final season in 1995–96. Robertson holds the record for th ...

, Hakeem Olajuwon and

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

are the only other players to achieve a quadruple-double. Blocked shots were not recorded prior to 1973-74 One of five players in NBA history to average at least 15 rebounds per game for his career: 15.0 (14,464/964) *Also done by

Bob Pettit Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's M ...

and

One of five players in NBA history to average at least 20 rebounds per game during a season: 21.3 (), 22.0 () *Also achieved by

and

Note: Thurmond only played 51 games in 1967-68, and thus that season does not appear in this list.<--> One of four players in NBA history to record 40 or more rebounds in a game: 42, vs. Detroit Pistons, *Also achieved by

and

NBA regular season record for rebounds in a quarter: 18, at Baltimore Bullets,

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

, 76 , , – , , 25.9 , , .395 , , – , , .549 , , 10.4 , , 1.1 , , – , , – , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , – , , 41.2 , , .419 , , – , , .658 , , 18.1 , , 2.0 , , – , , – , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , – , , 39.6 , , .406 , , – , , .654 , , 18.0 , , 1.5 , , – , , – , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , – , , 42.5 , , .437 , , – , , .629 , , 21.3 , , 2.6 , , – , , – , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 51 , , – , , 43.6 , , .411 , , – , , .644 , , 22.0 , , 4.2 , , – , , – , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , – , , 45.2 , , .410 , , – , , .615 , , 19.7 , , 3.6 , , – , , – , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , – , , 44.6 , , .414 , , – , , .754 , , 17.7 , , 3.5 , , – , , – , , 21.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 40.9 , , .445 , , – , , .730 , , 13.8 , , 3.1 , , – , , – , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 78 , , – , , 43.1 , , .432 , , – , , .743 , , 16.1 , , 2.9 , , – , , – , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 79 , , – , , 43.3 , , .446 , , – , , .718 , , 17.1 , , 3.5 , , – , , – , , 17.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 62 , , – , , 39.7 , , .444 , , – , , .666 , , 14.2 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , 2.9 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 80 , , – , , 34.5 , , .364 , , – , , .589 , , 11.3 , , 4.1 , , .6 , , 2.4 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 13 , , – , , 20.0 , , .444 , , – , , .444 , , 5.5 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , .9 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 65 , , – , , 17.4 , , .418 , , – , , .514 , , 5.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , – , , 20.3 , , .407 , , – , , .642 , , 7.6 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 1.7 , , 5.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 964 , , – , , 37.2 , , .421 , , – , , .667 , , 15.0 , , 2.7 , , .5 , , 2.1 , , 15.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 5 , , 2 , , 20.8 , , .326 , , – , , .375 , , 8.8 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , 6.2

Playoffs

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

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

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, 12, , –, , 34.2, , .438, , –, , .679, , 12.3, , .8, , –, , –, , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 15, , –, , 46.0, , .433, , –, , .571, , 23.1, , 3.1, , –, , –, , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1969 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 6, , –, , 43.8, , .392, , –, , .588, , 19.5, , 4.7, , –, , –, , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 5, , –, , 38.4, , .371, , –, , .800, , 10.2, , 3.0, , –, , –, , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 5, , –, , 46.0, , .434, , –, , .750, , 17.8, , 5.2, , –, , –, , 25.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 11, , –, , 41.8, , .398, , –, , .800, , 13.2, , 3.6, , –, , –, , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 13, , –, , 19.5, , .368, , –, , .486, , 6.7, , 2.4, , .4, , 1.6, , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 13, , –, , 28.8, , .468, , –, , .406, , 9.0, , 2.2, , .5, , 2.2, , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 1, , –, , 1.0, , –, , –, , –, , 1.0, , .0, , .0, , 1.0, , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 81 , , – , , 35.5 , , .416 , , – , , .621 , , 13.6 , , 2.8 , , .4 , , 1.9 , , 11.9

References

External links

Hall of Fame profile
*Career statistics and player information o

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurmond, Nate 1941 births 2016 deaths 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American restaurateurs Basketball players from Akron, Ohio Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from leukemia Golden State Warriors players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Power forwards (basketball) San Francisco Warriors draft picks San Francisco Warriors players

High school and college career

NBA career

San Francisco/Golden State Warriors

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Personal life

Statistical accomplishments

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

Further reading

External links