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 (appro ...

player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers (also known as the Fighting Tigers) are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiat ...

before being selected in the second round of the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden 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 p ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. He has played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

for the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

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

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

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 of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

College career

Thornton played two years at

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 ...

, a junior college in

Kilgore, Texas Kilgore, officially the City of Kilgore, is a city in Gregg County, Texas, Gregg and Rusk County, Texas, Rusk counties in Texas, United States. Located where Interstate 20 and US 259 converge just south of the Sabine River (Texas–Louisiana), ...

. 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 and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. 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 most outstanding player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The school with the most SEC Player of the Year award winners is Kentucky, with 18 total awards. ...

. 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, 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 Sr. (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 (9,8 ...

). 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 ...

. 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. In the lockout-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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

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 professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guar ...

and

Reggie Evans Reginald Jamaal Evans (born May 18, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who last played in the Big3 League. A Power forward, Evans played 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams. While limited in his offensive game, Evans ...

. 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 the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves be ...

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. 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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, 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 who last played for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at , he plays the small forward position. Bogdanović has also ...

and

Chris McCullough Christopher Albert McCullough (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Pelita Jaya of the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia). He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange. High school career ...

. 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 Anahe ...

of the G-League.

Beijing Ducks (2018)

On February 4, 2018, Thornton signed with the

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

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional 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

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

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

, but was waived on January 21, after appearing in only 4 games.On February 18, 2025, Thornton was announced by Greek club Lavrio of the A1 division

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

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

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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

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

, 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 Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

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Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 39 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .416 , , .419 , , .824 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 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 most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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, 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

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2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 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 professional basketball player for Peñarol Mar del Plata of the Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB). 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 sportsmen 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 Sportspeople from Kilgore, Texas LSU Tigers men's 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 sportsmen