LaSalle Thompson

Infobox NBA Player
name = LaSalle Thompson
position = Center/Power forward
nickname = Tank
height_ft = 6
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 245
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1961|6|23
birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio
college = Texas
draft = 5th overall
draft_year = 1982
draft_team = Kansas City Kings
career_start = 1982
career_end = 1997
former_teams = Kansas City/Sacramento Kings (1982-1989)
Indiana Pacers (1989-1995, 1997)
Philadelphia 76ers (1995-1996)
Denver Nuggets (1996-1997)
awards =

LaSalle Thompson III (born June 23 1961 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American former professional basketball player, who spent most of his 15-year career with the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers who currently serves as a strength and conditioning coach for the Charlotte Bobcats. The 6'10", 245-pound Thompson spent time at both the center and power forward positions during his playing career. He has one son named Nickolas, and one daughter named Ruby.

Playing career

Nicknamed "Tank", Thompson finished his career at Texas as the school's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,027, despite the fact he played only three years. The record would go unchallenged for 21 years until it was broken by James Thomas in 2004.

Thompson was drafted by the Kings with the fifth overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft, making him the highest Texas player taken until LaMarcus Aldridge was selected second overall in 2006. In 1989-90, he averaging 13.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while spending a half-season in Sacramento and the other half in Indiana.

A regular starter for most of the first part of his career, in 1992-93 Thompson moved to a role as the tough-nosed veteran off the bench, as Rik Smits and Dale Davis started every game in which they played. Thompson was a key reserve on the Pacers team that stunned the world by advancing to their first Eastern Conference Finals series in 1993-94.

After the 1994-95 season, Thompson signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, playing there for a year before going to the Denver Nuggets. Ultimately he ended his career with nine more games in a Pacers uniform, as he was involved in the trade-deadline deal that also brought Mark Jackson back to Indiana.

Post-NBA career

Thompson served a stint as general manager and head coach of the San Diego Wildfire in the American Basketball Association in the 2000-01 season, which would be the only season of the Wildfire's existence.

Currently, he is co-owner of Prime Time Motors, an automobile sales firm in California. [http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/lasalle_thompson.html]

On May 30, 2008, Thompson accepted an offer from Larry Brown and the Charlotte Bobcats to become a strength and conditioning coach. [http://www.charlotte.com/bobcats/story/646146.html]

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thompla01.html LaSalle Thompson Bio] @ Basketball-Reference.com