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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played for several teams in the

National Basketball Association 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 ...

(NBA). He was an NBA All-Star in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and won an NBA championship with the

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) ...

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Early years

Thorpe graduated in 1980 from Lake Worth Community High School 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

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 with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Thorpe was traded to the

for Rodney McCray and Jim Petersen in October 1988.

Houston Rockets

While with the Rockets, Thorpe made an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

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 The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. That season, Thorpe was an integral part of the Houston Rockets' trip to the 1994 NBA Finals 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 Northwest Division (N ...

in a deal for Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray. 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

(who acquired him in a package for Randolph Childress 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. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

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 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) to the Washington Wizards for

Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...

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

in 1999 and was traded to the

, along with Rodney Buford, P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, and Tim James in a deal for Anthony Mason, Ricky Davis, Dale Ellis, 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 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 ...

, 75 , , 18 , , 22.3 , , .587 , , - , , .661 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 36.0 , , .540 , , .000 , , .761 , , 10.0 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .7 , , 18.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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 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 ...

, 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;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 35 , , 33.0 , , .563 , , .000 , , .528 , , 8.9 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 13.3 , - , 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 List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 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;" rowspan=2, , 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 cit ...

, 47 , , 46 , , 33.5 , , .477 , , .000 , , .694 , , 7.9 , , 3.4 , , .6 , , .5 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 20 , , 23.1 , , .459 , , .000 , , .657 , , 6.1 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 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 is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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

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

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 38.0 , , .649 , , - , , .762 , , 5.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , style="text-align:left;",

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

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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

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

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, 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 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, 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 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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

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

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

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

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

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 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 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball players from Palm Beach County, Florida Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Detroit Pistons players Houston Rockets players Kansas City Kings draft picks Kansas City Kings players Miami Heat players NBA All-Stars Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards Providence Friars men's basketball players Sacramento Kings players Sportspeople from Boynton Beach, Florida Vancouver Grizzlies players

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