NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER

#42 Nate Thurmond - C

Nate Thurmond Career NBA Stats 1963-77
G
FGA
FGM
FG%
PTS
PPG
3PTA
3PTM
3PT%
FTA
FTM
FT% AST
APG
REB
RPG
BLK
STL
964
13,105
5,521
42.1
14,437
15.0
0
0
0.0
5,089
3,395
66.7
2,575
2.7
14,464
15.0
553
125
 

 

Nathaniel Thurmond was born on July 25, 1941 in Akron, OH.  He was the son of Leala and Andrew Thurmond. If there were any indication that Nate would be a tall person, his parents were the source as both of them were 5’11” and taller. Basketball became his sport of choice and with Thurmond’s height reaching 6’11”, there was little doubt the big man would be a factor on the court.

 

 

Thurmond attended Central High School. He was a teammate of future Hall of Famer Gus Johnson. The Akron duo had some success on the basketball court, leading their basketball team deep into the Ohio state basketball playoffs. They would lose to Middletown, a team featuring future Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas. When it came to deciding on which college to attend, Thurmond passed on Ohio State where Lucas was the starter. He instead opted for Bowling Green.

 

Nate Thurmond College Career Stats and Notes

Thurmond played for Bowling Green State from 1960-63. He averaged 17.8 points and 16.6 rebounds per game during his college career. He led the Falcons to the NCAA tournament in back to back years in 1962 and 1963. Thurmond was an All-American in 1963.

 

Awards and Achievements
MVP
All-NBA
All-Star Selections
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1973 1974
Scoring Titles
NBA Finals MVP
Achievements

Member of 1963-64 NBA All Rookie First Team

NBA All Defensive First Team

1969, 1971

NBA All Defensive Second Team

1972, 1973, 1974

Member of NBA 50th Anniversary All Time Team

Member of NBA 75th Anniversary All Time Team

 

 

Nate Thurmond NBA Career Stats and Notes

Thurmond was selected 3rd overall in the 1963 NBA Draft by the San Francisco Warriors. He spent 11 season with the Warriors franchise. He was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Chicago Bulls in 1974. Early in the 1975-76 season, Thurmond was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he would spend the rest of his NBA career. He retired after the 1976-77 season and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.

 

Nate Thurmond Quadruple Double Game

Thurmond’s Hall of Fame career ran up against the giants of the game. He battled Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed and in his later years Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wes Unseld. Often overshadowed by the greatness of his competitors, Thurmond did set an NBA record for a stat line none of them ever accomplished: the first ever quadruple double (blocks weren't an official NBA stat until 1973-74.)

On October 18, 1974 in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, Nate the Great had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks for the first recorded quadruple double in NBA history. This type of stat line is rare in the NBA. In fact, only 5 quadruple doubles have been recorded in NBA history with the last coming from Hall of Famer David Robinson during February 17, 1994 game against the Detroit Pistons (34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks).

 

 

List of Basketball Hall of Fame Members