Last Updated on September 11, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

Here’s a detailed overview of NBA legend Nate Thurmond:

  • Full Name: Nathaniel Thurmond
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born: July 25, 1941. Died: July 16, 2016 (aged 74)
  • Hometown: Akron, Ohio, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters)
  • Weight: 225 pounds (102 kg)
  • Wingspan: 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 meters) (unofficial)
  • Shoe Size: Size 19 (US)
  • Jersey Number: Wore numbers 42 and 45 during his career.
  • Position: Center / Power Forward
  • High School: Central-Hower High School in Akron, Ohio.
  • College: Bowling Green State University (1960–1963)
  • NBA Draft:
  • 1963 NBA Draft
    • 1st Round, 3rd Overall Pick by the San Francisco Warriors
  • Teams Played For:
    • San Francisco / Golden State Warriors (1963–1974)
    • Chicago Bulls (1974–1976)
    • Cleveland Cavaliers (1976–1977)
  • Championship Rings: 0 NBA Championship rings, although he reached the NBA Finals with the Warriors in 1967.
  • Accolades:
    • 7-time NBA All-Star (1965–1967, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1974)
    • First player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double (22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks in 1974 with the Chicago Bulls)
    • NBA All-Defensive First Team: 2 times (1969, 1971)
    • NBA All-Defensive Second Team: 3 times (1972–1974)
    • Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
    • His jersey number 42 was retired by both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
  • Kids: Nate Thurmond had no biological children, but he had a step-son from his second marriage.
  • Siblings: He had a brother named Ben Thurmond.

Thurmond was renowned for his defense, rebounding, and shot-blocking ability, making him one of the most formidable centers of his era despite not winning an NBA title.

Notes:

  • Nate Thurmond was an athletic power forward and center in the NBA who started his career playing for the San Francisco Warriors.
  • Nate Thurmond is famous for wearing Converse Chuck Taylor Low shoes, particularly white Chuck Taylor Lows with a red line around the shoe’s outline and another blue line across the sole. Nate Thurmond was light for his height which would have helped him wear Low Top basketball shoes without injuries. There also wasn’t information in Nate Thurmond’s time that would have suggested basketball players should be wearing Mid or High Top shoes, though Converse Chuck Taylor Highs did come out in 1970.