Nate Thurmond

Nate Thurmond

Nate Thurmond and Wilt Chamberlain battle for the basketball
No. 42
Forward / Center
Personal information
Date of birth	July 25, 1941 (1941-07-25) (age 70)
Place of birth	Akron, Ohio
Nationality	American
High school	Central (Akron)
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College	Bowling Green State (1960–1963)
NBA Draft	1963 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the San Francisco Warriors
Pro career	1963–1977
Career history
1963–1974	San Francisco / Golden State Warriors
1974–1976	Chicago Bulls
1976–1977	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
7× NBA All-Star (1965–1968, 1970, 1973–1974) 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969, 1971) 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1972–1974) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1964) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1963) First player to record a quadruple-double – 01974-10-18 October 18, 1974 NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #42 Retired by the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers
Career statistics
Points	14,437 (15.0 ppg)
Rebounds	14,464 (15.0 rpg)
Assists	2,575 (2.7 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

Nathaniel "Nate" Thurmond (born July 25, 1941, in Akron, Ohio) is a retired American basketball player. Dominant at both center and power forward, he was a seven-time All-Star and first player to record a quadruple-double.

Thurmond remains one of the greatest rebounders and shot blockers ever, named both a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Known to fans as "Nate the Great",^[1] the popular Thurmond has had his jersey number 42 retired by both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers franchises.^[2]

Career

He played in high school with another future NBA star, Gus Johnson, at Akron Central. Their powerful team went undefeated before losing to Middletown, led by Jerry Lucas, in the Ohio state high school playoffs. Passing on a scholarship offer to Ohio State, to avoid becoming Lucas's backup there, the 6'11" Thurmond chose Bowling Green. He was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1963, and was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors later that year.

With the Warriors, Thurmond was an aggressive rebounder-defender who played at the forward position opposite superstar Wilt Chamberlain or was his backup at center. Despite playing on the same team as the dominant Chamberlain, Thurmond made an impact and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1964.

When Chamberlain was traded back to Philadelphia's new franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers, Thurmond became the All-Star starting center Chamberlain said he could be. Among his many accomplishments, Thurmond still holds the regular season record for rebounds in a quarter with 18. He averaged 21.3 and 22.0 rebounds per game in the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons — season averages exceeded by only Bill Russell and Chamberlain in NBA history. Thurmond placed second to Chamberlain in the MVP balloting in the 1966-67 season, and averaged over 20 points per game each season from 1967-68 through 1971-72, and played in seven NBA All-Star Games while with the Warriors. However, while star players like Rick Barry and Jerry Lucas came and went, the Warriors were unable to win a championship with Thurmond at center. Thurmond was also an excellent passing center and was well known as the best screen setter in the league for many years.

He was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Clifford Ray prior to the 1974-75 season. On October 18, 1974 against the Atlanta Hawks, in his debut as a Chicago Bull, he recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots, becoming the first player in NBA history to officially record a quadruple-double (blocked shots were not counted before 1973–74).[1] He was then traded to Cleveland Cavaliers 13 games into the following season. In Cleveland, the now 35-year-old Thurmond came off the bench for the injured Jim Chones to lead Cleveland to the Eastern Conference Finals before the Cavaliers lost to the star-studded Boston Celtics in 1976.

After retirement, Thurmond returned to San Francisco and opened a well-known restaurant, Big Nate's BBQ, after a brief attempt at broadcasting.

NBA statistics

Career highs

Regular season

Stat	High	Opponent	Date
Points	43	at Detroit Pistons	01971-02-24 February 24, 1971
Points	42	at Detroit Pistons	01971-12-30 December 30, 1971
Field goal percentage
Field goals made	18	at Detroit Pistons	01971-02-24 February 24, 1971
Field goal attempts	34
Free throws made, none missed	—
Free throws made, one missed	15—16	at Milwaukee Bucks	01972-02-12 February 12, 1972
Free throws made	16	at Seattle SuperSonics	01967-12-31 December 31, 1967
Free throw attempts	22
Rebounds	42	vs. Detroit Pistons	01965-11-09 November 9, 1965
Rebounds	37	vs. Baltimore Bullets	01964-10-27 October 27, 1964
Rebounds	37	vs. Los Angeles Lakers	01966-12-20 December 20, 1966
Rebounds, half	24	vs. Los Angeles Lakers	01966-12-20 December 20, 1966
Rebounds, quarter	18	at Baltimore Bullets	01965-02-28 February 28, 1965
Assists	13
Blocked shots	12	vs. Atlanta Hawks	01974-10-18 October 18, 1974
Blocked shots	8	vs. Portland Trail Blazers	01974-12-03 December 3, 1974
Minutes played	63 (3 OT)	vs. Los Angeles Lakers	01969-02-02 February 2, 1969

Playoffs

Stat	High	Opponent	Date
Points	32
Field goal percentage
Field goals made	13
Field goal attempts	29
Free throws made, none missed	—
Free throw attempts, none made	0—3	at Los Angeles Lakers	01969-04-04 April 4, 1969
Free throws made	8
Free throw attempts	11
Rebounds	31	at Philadelphia 76ers	01967-04-14 April 14, 1967
Assists	9
Blocked shots	6	vs. Boston Celtics	01976-05-14 May 14, 1976

NBA records

Regular season

First player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double in a game: Chicago Bulls (120) vs. Atlanta Hawks (115), 01974-10-18 October 18, 1974 (OT)

• 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocked shots in 45 minutes
• The game was the first of the 1974–75 season, as well as Thurmond's debut with the Chicago Bulls.
• Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson are the only other players to achieve this.

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 Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Bob Pettit and Jerry Lucas

One of five players in NBA history to average at least 20 rebounds per game during a season: 21.3 (1966–67), 22.0 (1967–68)

• Also achieved by Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Pettit and Jerry Lucas

One of four players in NBA history to record 40 or more rebounds in a game: 42, vs. Detroit Pistons, 01965-11-09 November 9, 1965

• Also achieved by Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry Lucas

Rebounds, quarter: 18, at Baltimore Bullets, 01965-02-28 February 28, 1965

Minutes played, game: 63, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 01969-02-02 February 2, 1969 (3 OT)

• Broken by Norm Nixon on 01980-01-29 January 29, 1980 (4 OT)

Playoffs

Recording 20 or more rebounds in all games of a playoff series: 6 games, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1967 NBA Finals

• Wilt Chamberlain achieved this for the opposing team, Philadelphia 76ers, in the same series.

NBA Finals

Recording 20 or more rebounds in all games of a championship series: 6 games, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1967 NBA Finals

• Wilt Chamberlain achieved this for the opposing team, Philadelphia 76ers, in the same series.
• Also achieved by Bill Russell thrice (1959, 1961, 1962) and Wilt Chamberlain twice (1964, 1967).

Ranks 2nd in NBA history

NBA Finals

Rebounds, 6-game series: 160, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1967 NBA Finals (26.7 rpg)

• Wilt Chamberlain recorded 171 rebounds (28.5 rpg) for the opposing team, Philadelphia 76ers, in the same series.

Ranks 3rd in NBA history

NBA Finals

Consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds: 6, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 01967-04-14 April 14, 1967 to 01967-04-24 April 24, 1967

Ranks 4th in NBA history

Regular season

Free throw attempts, half: 20, at Philadelphia 76ers, 01971-01-05 January 5, 1971

Playoffs

Rebounds, 6-game series: 160, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1967 NBA Finals (26.7 rpg)

Ranks 5th in NBA history

Regular season

Rebounds, career: 14,464

• Trailing Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elvin Hayes

Highest average, rebounds per game, career: 15.0 (14,464/964)

• Trailing Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Bob Pettit and Jerry Lucas

Blocked shots, game: 12, (Chicago Bulls) vs. Atlanta Hawks, 01974-10-18 October 18, 1974

• Thurmond recorded the first quadruple-double in NBA history in this game. The game was also the first of the 1974–75 season, and Thurmond's debut with the Chicago Bulls.

See also

• Quadruple-double
• List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
• List of National Basketball Association players with most rebounds in a game
• List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game
• List of National Basketball Association top individual rebounding season averages
• Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

External links

• Hall of Fame profile
• Hoopedia bio
• NBA profile
• Big Nate's Barbeque

Further reading

• Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-577-1. 

Notes

1. ^ "Nate Thurmond Statistics". basketball-reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thurmna01.html. Retrieved 2008-01-05. 
2. ^ Cleveland Cavaliers All-Time Numerical Roster

Persondata
Name	Thurmond, Nate
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 25, 1941
Place of birth	Akron, Ohio
Date of death
Place of death