Rodney King Thorn (born May 23, 1941) is an American basketball executive and a former professional player and coach, Olympic Committee Chairman, with a career spanning over 50 years. In 2018, Thorn was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

Early life

Thorn attracted nationwide attention after a high school

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 ...

career at

Princeton High School Princeton High School may refer to: *Princeton High School (Illinois), Princeton, Illinois *Princeton Community High School, Princeton, Indiana *Princeton High School (Minnesota), Princeton, Minnesota *Princeton Junior-Senior High School, Princeton ...

in his hometown of

Princeton, West Virginia Princeton, is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The city is coined the "Heart of Mercer County" or the "Jewel of the South" in past decades. The population was 6,432 at the ...

that saw him average more than 30 points per game as a senior. He was a three-time all-state selection and was a two-time High School All-American. Thorn was also a highly regarded high school

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player, before a head injury took him away from the sport for a time. Thorn was looking at colleges, including

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

, when the West Virginia State Legislature passed a resolution designating Thorn as a state Natural Resource. This in order to persuade him to emulate native

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

and attend

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

. Thorn did just that.

College career

Thorn attended

. He wore #44, the same number as

, who had just graduated. At WVU, he was an All-American guard in basketball, as well as playing three seasons on the WVU baseball team. In 1960–61, as a sophomore (freshman could not play varsity in his era), Thorn averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Coach

George King George King may refer to: Politics * George King (Australian politician) (1814–1894), New South Wales and Queensland politician * George King, 3rd Earl of Kingston (1771–1839), Irish nobleman and MP for County Roscommon * George Clift King (184 ...

and the 23–4

West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 2 ...

team. Thorn improved and West Virginia finished 24–6 in 1961–62. The Mountaineers were invited to the

1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament The 1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 12, 1962, and en ...

, where they lost to Villanova 90–75. Thorn averaged 23.7 points and 12.1 rebounds. He was the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American selection, beside

John Havlicek John Joseph Havlicek ( ; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons with ...

of Ohio State University, among others. In 1962–63, Thorn averaged 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds as a senior. West Virginia finished 23–8 and qualified for the

1963 NCAA University Division basketball tournament The 1963 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 9, 1963, and e ...

. In the NCAA's, they defeated Connecticut 77–71, as Thorn had 17 points and 7 rebounds. Thorn was outstanding in the Mountaineers' 97–88 loss to St. Josephs, scoring 44 points in the defeat. He then scored 33 points with 9 rebounds in a 83–73 win over New York University in the East Region third place game, his final collegiate game. Thorn was again selected as a Second Team All-American beside

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

, among others. Overall, Thorn averaged 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds in 81 games during his three seasons at West Virginia.

NBA playing career

Baltimore Bullets

Thorn was the No. 2 overall pick of 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 ...

, drafted by the Baltimore Bullets. In his rookie season 1963–64, Thorn 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 ...

averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Bullets under Hall of Fame Coach

Slick Leonard William Robert "Slick" Leonard (July 17, 1932April 13, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach and color commentator. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where he was a two-time All-American and a member ...

Detroit Pistons

Following his first season, Thorn was traded on June 18, 1964. Baltimore traded Thorn, with

Terry Dischinger Terry Gilbert Dischinger (born November 21, 1940) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dischinger was a three-time NBA All-Star and the 1963 NBA Rookie of the Year, after averaging 28 points per gam ...

and Don Kojis 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 L ...

for Bob Ferry, future Hall of Famer

Bailey Howell Bailey E. Howell (born January 20, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howell was a six-time NBA ...

, Les Hunter, Wali Jones and

Don Ohl Donald Jay Ohl (born April 18, 1936) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 10 seasons (1960–1970) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nickname was ''Waxie'' because of his crew cut. College career Ohl ...

. In 1964–65, Thorn averaged 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Pistons. The team did not make the playoffs under Charles Wolf (2–9) and 24-year-old player/coach

Dave DeBusschere David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 a ...

(29–40).

St. Louis Hawks

Detroit, with Thorn averaging 13.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists, traded him on December 24, 1965. The Pistons sent Thorn to the St. Louis Hawks for

John Tresvant John B. Tresvant (born November 6, 1939) is a retired American basketball player. A native of Washington, D.C., he played high school football and baseball, but not play basketball as he was cut from the team. After graduating, he joined the U. ...

and

Chico Vaughn Charles "Chico" Vaughn (February 19, 1940 – October 25, 2013) was an American basketball player. At 6'2", he played the guard position. Vaughn is the highest scorer in Illinois high school boys basketball, tallying 3,358 points during his caree ...

. Thorn averaged 8.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 46 games with the Hawks as a reserve. Playing alongside Future Hall of Famers

Richie Guerin Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atlan ...

(player/coach),

Zelmo Beaty Zelmo "Big Z" Beaty ( ; October 25, 1939 – August 27, 2013) was an American basketball player. He played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and four in the rival American Basketball Association (ABA). A three-time ABA A ...

Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as ...

and

Cliff Hagan Clifford Oldham Hagan (born December 9, 1931) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner", played his entire 10-year NBA career (1956–1966) with the St. ...

, as well as

Joe Caldwell Joe Louis Caldwell (born November 1, 1941) is a retired American professional basketball player. Caldwell played six seasons (1964–1970) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and five seasons (1970–1975) in the American Basketball As ...

, Paul Silas and Bill Bridges, Thorn saw his minutes reduced. The Hawks lost the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in the Western Division Finals 4–3 after having beaten Baltimore 3–0 to advance. In 1966–67, Thorn averaged 8.8 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Hawks as they added Lou Hudson and finished 39–42. The Hawks defeated the expansion

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 ...

3–0 in the playoffs, before losing to the

San Francisco 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 1 ...

with Rick Barry and

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 ...

4–2 in the Western Division finals. Thorn averaged 10.2 points in the series.

Seattle SuperSonics

On May 1, 1967, Thorn was drafted by the expansion

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

from the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA expansion draft. He concluded his career as a player with the

(1967–1971). Thorn averaged a career high 15.2 points with 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, in 1967–68, as the expansion SuperSonics finished 23–58 under Coach

Al Bianchi Alfred A. Bianchi (March 26, 1932 – October 28, 2019) was an American professional basketball player, coach, general manager, consultant, and scout. Early years Nicknamed "Blinky", he attended P.S. 4 elementary school and graduated from Long I ...

. The SuperSonics improved to 30–52 in 1968–69, with Thorn averaging 11.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists at age 27. Thorn's teammate from St. Louis, Lenny Wilkens became the player/Coach of the SuperSonics in 1969–70 and the team improved to 36–46, in Wilkens' first Coaching season. Wilkens would lead the SuperSonics to the NBA Championship in 1979, and would coach in the NBA until 2005, winning 1332 games in 32 seasons. Injured, Thorn averaged 2.9 points in 19 games. In 1970–71, Thorn finished his playing career, playing in 63 games off the bench, averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 assists for the 38–44 SuperSonics. Overall, in eight NBA seasons, Thorn averaged 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 466 games.

Coaching career

In 1971–72, Thorn joined his former teammate and coach Lenny Wilkens as an assistant with the SuperSonics and the team finished 47–35. In 1973, former teammate

Kevin Loughery Kevin Michael Loughery (born March 28, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Career biography Loughery spent 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (1962–1973), almost nine of them with the Baltimor ...

was head coach and hired Thorn as assistant coach of the

New York Nets 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, ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

for $15,000. The Nets then won the 1974 ABA championship, led by Julius Erving. Thorn was hired the head coach of the

Spirits of St. Louis The Spirits of St. Louis were a basketball franchise based in St. Louis that played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1974 to 1976. This was the third and last city of a franchise that had begun as a charter member in 1967 as the ...

with then-star

Marvin Barnes Marvin Jerome "Bad News" Barnes (July 27, 1952 – September 8, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. A forward, he was an All-American at Providence College, and played professionally in both the American Basketball Association ...

for the

1975–76 ABA season The 1975–76 ABA season was the ninth and final season of the American Basketball Association. The shot clock was changed from 30 to 24 seconds to match the NBA. Dave DeBusschere was the league's new commissioner, its seventh and last. This was a ...

. The Spirits' roster also included Hall of Famer

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...

Caldwell Jones Caldwell "Pops" Jones (August 4, 1950 – September 21, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. Jones was drafted out of Albany State College by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 14th pick in the 1973 NBA draft. He played three seaso ...

Mike D'Antoni Michael D'Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an Italian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While head coach of the Ph ...

Gus Gerard Daniel James "Gus" Gerard (born July 27, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for the Carolina Cougars and Spirits of St. Louis and Denver Nuggets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Denver Nuggets, ...

, Maurice Lucas, Ron Boone,

M.L. Carr Michael Leon Carr (born January 9, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), and former head coach and General Manager of the Boston Celtics. ...

and Don Chaney But, after a 20–27 start he was fired in December, 1975 and replaced by Joe Mullaney. Thorn had discipline issues with Barnes. "Marvin would come late for everything,” Thorn said years later. "You couldn't depend on him. He'd say, 'I'm giving you 24 and 12 every night. You better talk to the others.' He'd come late on purpose to show, 'You don't control me. I'm in charge.'" Thorn returned to the New York Nets and Loughery as an assistant coach when the franchise joined the NBA in 1976–77. The team had been forced to move Erving to 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 Ea ...

and was playing with a depleted roster. Thorn left the position after the 1977–78 season to move to the front office in Chicago.

Basketball executive career

Chicago Bulls

In 1978, Thorn became the general manager of the

and served in that role until March 1985. Thorn hired

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

as Head Coach, drafted Reggie Theus and had

Artis Gilmore Artis Gilmore (born September 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basket ...

in the middle. Thorn replaced Sloan on the bench to finish the 1981–82 season (15–15). In 1984, he famously oversaw team's selection of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

with the No. 3 pick of the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally c ...

. (he also selected track star

Carl Lewis Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996 ...

, with the draft on the eve of the 1984 Olympic Games, simply for patriotic publicity purposes). Thorn negated numerous trade offers for the Bulls' No. 3 pick in 1984. There was maneuvering for Jordan to go to Philadelphia where North Carolina star

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the ''Kangaroo Kid'' for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the ...

was the 76ers coach. There was further speculation Thorn might select Jordan's North Carolina’s teammate Sam Perkins, (who was drafted at No. 4), because the Bulls had recently selected shooting guards in previous drafts and Thorn had just traded All-Star Reggie Theus. However, Thorn drafted Jordan, and the Bulls' foundation was in place. Thorn hired

as head coach and the team struggled with youth. Thorn left the Bulls when he and Loughery were fired in March 1985 and new owner

Jerry Reinsdorf Jerry Michael Reinsdorf (born February 25, 1936) is the owner of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and MLB's Chicago White Sox. He started his professional life as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has been the owner of the White So ...

hired

Jerry Krause Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003. His tenure with the Bull ...

as G.M.

NBA/Dream Team/Nets/76ers

From 1986 to 2000 Thorn was the NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, serving as the league's chief disciplinarian. Thorn chaired the

USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olymp ...

Men's National Team Selection Committee in 1992, 1996 and 2000. The "

Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...

" for the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

(Barcelona) was assembled and the committee put together the Olympic gold-medal USA teams in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

and

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 ...

. Thorn rejoined the Nets organization on June 2, 2000, and he was named the

NBA Executive of the Year The National Basketball Association's Executive of the Year Award is an annual award given since the 1972–73 NBA season, to the league's best general manager, president of basketball/business operations, or another high-ranking executive. Before ...

in 2002 after the Nets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. During the 2010 offseason, Rod Thorn announced he would step down from the Nets' organization. On August 11, 2010, Thorn was hired as president of the 76ers, taking over the title from Ed Stefanski, who remained with the team as the general manager. On October 18, 2011, prior to a press conference introducing the 76ers' new ownership group, it was announced that Stefanski was leaving the organization and Thorn would be both president and general manager. In 2012,

Tony DiLeo Tony DiLeo (born August 8, 1955) is a former American basketball executive and former coach. He served as the 21st head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, taking over the position mid-season on December 13, 2008 after then-head coach Mau ...

was named the team's general manager, but Thorn retained his title as president. On July 10, 2013, the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

announced that Rod Thorn had been named President of Basketball Operations, effective August 1, after

Stu Jackson Stuart Wayne Jackson (born December 11, 1955) is an American basketball executive and former basketball coach. He currently serves as the director of basketball operations for the French professional club Élan Béarnais based in Pau. Jackson ...

decided to step down. On April 26, 2014 Thorn, on behalf of the NBA, suspended Wizard

Nene Hilario Nene may refer to: People * Nene (name), list of people with this name * Nene (aristocrat) (1546–1624), principal samurai wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi * Nené (footballer, 1942-2016), nickname of Brazilian footballer Claudio Olinto de Carvalho ...

from game 4 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. In 2015, Thorn briefly retired from the NBA. In 2015, Thorn, semi-retired, became a Special Consultant for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. Of his career, “I’ve been unbelievably fortunate to be in the right place so many times,” said Thorn. "To come from a place with 7,000 people sometimes you pinch yourself and think, 'Wow, how fortunate I've been.' When I played we got $8 in meal money. We were like a barnstorming league. I can remember playing 16 straight days in preseason in one little high school after the next. You couldn't tell me the NBA would end up where it is and I would be a first hand witness to so many great things. That's one of the things I'm proudest of, just being on the scene and sometimes having a little something to do with what transpired. It's been a lot of fun."

Personal life

He graduated from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

with a degree in political science while playing and coaching for the SuperSonics. Thorn and his wife, Peggy, have a son, Jonathan, and twin daughters, Amanda and Jessica. "I'm not sure there are any others who have the hard earned understanding of the game," former NBA commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

said about Thorn. "People forget he drafted Michael Jordan, forget the Nets (under Thorn) were in the Finals two years in a row (after he pulled off the Jason Kidd trade), forget he was with the 76ers when they beat the Bulls in the playoffs as an eighth seed. He has a unique background and a unique personal approach."

Honors

* Thorn was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 1982. * On September 7, 2018, Thorn was enshrined in the

as a contributor. * On February 29, 2020, Thorn’s number 44 was retired by West Virginia University.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, 75 , , , , 34.6 , , .405 , , , , .731 , , 4.8 , , 3.7 , , , , , , 14.4 , - , 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 ...

, 74 , , , , 23.9 , , .427 , , , , .724 , , 3.6 , , 2.2 , , , , , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , , , 30.2 , , .417 , , , , .732 , , 3.7 , , 2.4 , , , , , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", St. Louis , 46 , , , , 20.1 , , .423 , , , , .690 , , 2.4 , , 1.8 , , , , , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", St. Louis , 67 , , , , 17.4 , , .445 , , , , .727 , , 2.4 , , 1.8 , , , , , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, 66 , , , , 25.3 , , .451 , , , , .737 , , 4.0 , , 3.5 , , , , , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , , , 19.6 , , .463 , , , , .732 , , 2.9 , , 2.8 , , , , , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , , , 5.5 , , .444 , , , , .625 , , .8 , , .9 , , , , , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , , , 12.2 , , .472 , , , , .676 , , 1.6 , , 2.9 , , , , , , 5.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 466 , , , , 22.3 , , .433 , , , , .723 , , 3.1 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 10.8

Playoffs

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

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

, style="text-align:left;", St. Louis , 10 , , , , 11.9 , , .308 , , , , .778 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , , , , , 3.8 , - , 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;", St. Louis , 9 , , , , 17.3 , , .429 , , , , .926 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , , , , , 10.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 19 , , , , 14.5 , , .388 , , , , .867 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , , , , , 6.8

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorn, Rod 1941 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) draft picks Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball coaches from West Virginia Basketball players from West Virginia Chicago Bulls head coaches Chicago Bulls executives Detroit Pistons players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association league office executives New Jersey Nets executives Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Princeton, West Virginia Philadelphia 76ers executives Point guards Seattle SuperSonics expansion draft picks Seattle SuperSonics players Shooting guards Spirits of St. Louis coaches St. Louis Hawks players University of Washington alumni West Virginia Mountaineers baseball players West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball players