Nate Thurmond
(1941-2016)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1985
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Select
Fame Game Copper
Position: C/PF
Height: 6’11”
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Nate Thurmond, “Big Nate,” was known as a fierce competitor on the court but a kind and gentle man off of it. He played in an era of dominant centers, which included Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He proved himself to be one of them. Nate was a top rebounder and rim protector who could also score the ball. His strength and consistency helped him to become one of the best big men in NBA history.
Awards and Honors
- In 1963-64, Nate was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, joining Jerry Lucas, Gus Johnson, Rod Thorn, and Art Heyman.
- Thurmond was a seven-time NBA All-Star during his fourteen-year professional basketball career.
- Nate was NBA All-Defensive First Team twice and All-Defensive Second Team three times during his career.
- Thurmond’s jersey was retired by two different teams. The Warriors retired his number 42 jersey on March 8, 1978 and the Cleveland Cavaliers retired his number 42 on December 18, 1977, during his final season.
- In 1996, Thurmond was named one of the NBA’s 50 All-Time Greatest Players.
Points of Interest
- Thurmond was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors with the third overall selection in the first round of the 1963 NBA Draft. Although he would play most of his career at the center position, Nate started off playing power forward for the Warriors because they already had a center by the name of Wilt Chamberlain.
- Nate was the first player to record a quadruple-double. On October 8, 1974, against the Atlanta Hawks, he finished the game with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocked shots.
- Thurmond set a record by grabbing 18 rebounds in one quarter in a game against Baltimore. He also became one of a select few to ever record 40 rebounds in one game.
- Nate played eleven seasons for the San Francisco and Golden State Warriors before shorts stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of his career. He finished his career with averages of 15.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game (although blocked shot statistics were not kept until 1973-74).
- After his playing career ended, Thurmond spent three decades making a difference in the community as a part of the Warriors community relations department.
Statistics
Nate Thurmond Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com