OAKLAND — Nate Thurmond, the imposing Hall of Fame focus and leading rebounder in Warriors history, died Saturday. He was 74.
Thurmond played for the Warriors from 1963-74 and remained a gregarious presence at house games later in life, serving as an official Golden State ambassador even as his healthiness faltered.
Thurmond privately battled leukemia over the past few months however recently began calling friends to offer a last goodbye.
“all of you have to already know regarding him or her as a person is that he called me recently — could barely speak — and said he simply wanted to tell me thank you for everything,” said Raymond Ridder, the team’s longtime vice president of communications.
Nate Thurmond of the Golden State Warriors (42) looks spine at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Milwaukee Bucks prior to making his move toward the basket throughout NBA playoff action at Milwaukee, Wis., March 30, 1973. Milwaukee won the initial round, 110-90. (Associated Press)
“This is an very difficult day for me,” Hall of Famer Jerry West said in a statement released by the Warriors. “We have actually lost an remarkable person and somebody whom I admired as a lot as any type of user I ever went to battle versus on any type of level. Nate Thurmond was, devoid of a doubt, one of the fiercest competitors that I played versus throughout my entire career. He played along with unbelievable intensity and was just a man among boys on most nights, especially on the defensive end.”
Gracious off the court, the seven-time All-Star was an intimidating force in the era of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, regularly said that Thurmond was the toughest focus he ever faced.
“As soon as I score on Nate, I already know I’ve done something,” Abdul-Jabbar once said. “He sweats and he prefers you to sweat, too.”
Thurmond remains the Warriors all-time leader in total rebounds, along with 12,771. Chamberlain had 10,768 for the Warriors however after that no one is in their ballpark — Larry Smith is a distant third along with 6,440.
Thurmond is likewise the franchise’s all-time leader in minutes played.
He was picked to the NBA 50th Anniversary group in 1996, a lot to the delight of a user that spent a lot of his occupation overshadowed by bigger names.
“Being flashy takes unnecessary effort,” Thurmond once told Sport magazine. “Once, I got cute and tore up a leg muscle that kept me off the court for four weeks. I suppose I could make a reputation for myself by dunking the ball and various other stuff. however exactly what would certainly it get hold of me?”
Nicknamed “Nate the Great,” he averaged precisely 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds over his NBA career. That rebounding standard still ranks fifth in NBA history, trailing only fellow Hall of Famers Chamberlain (22.9), Russell (22.5), Bob Pettit (16.2) and Jerry Lucas (15.6).
Defense was constantly Thurmond’s game, though, and the 6-foot-11, 225-pounder took pride in demoralizing his opponent.
Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond addresses the audience at the dedication of courts at Arroyo Viejo Park in the name of former Golden State Warriors Excellent Chris Mullin, Monday, April 23, 2012 in Oakland, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Location News Group)
“And it’s double demoralizing to a guy if you score on him or her at one end and shove him or her out at the various other end,” he once told The Brand-new York Times. “I could look in a guy’s eyes and already know he’s demoralized.”
Still, Thurmond was a genial giant after the whistle. He lived in San Francisco in retirement and remained a frequent visitor at Oracle Arena. He was a fixture at house games along with his wife, Marci — midcourt, regarding 15 rows up — and appeared at many community events each year.
His official task title was “Warriors Legend & Ambassador.” Among his duties last season was joining various other Warriors greats to speak to the latest users at the request of Coach Steve Kerr.
Thurmond’s gentle edge could have actually left him or her under-appreciated compared to his a lot more menacing peers, something he acknowledged as he neared retirement.
“You wait and see, I’ll be forgotten quick. 5 years from now, As soon as the Excellent centers are mentioned, I’ll be forgotten,” he told The Brand-new York Times in 1976. “Maybe I was also nice, however that’s all of down the drain. I already know exactly what I’ve done. I’d simply love to complete my occupation along with individuals saying, ‘He can easily play.'”
Thurmond gained the NBA All-Defensive initial or Second group 5 times. He once grabbed 42 rebounds in a game for the San Francisco Warriors, on Nov. 9, 1965, versus the Detroit Pistons.
Thurmond likewise owns the distinction of recording the initial official quadruple-double in NBA history, along with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots as a member of the Chicago Bulls in 1974. He may have actually obtained that feat earlier, however blocked shots were not an official statistic until 1973-74. That’s a pity for a user that would certainly have actually racked them up by the truckload.
“I’ve seen guys get hold of offensive rebounds then go spine 15 feet to guarantee they can easily get hold of a shot off,” former Warriors teammate Walt Hazzard once said. “They already know Nate is there.”
Abdul-Jabbar admired the Thurmond’s strength and agility and said, “He plays me much better compared to anyone ever has.” There was a secret to Thurmond’s triumph versus the user once known as Lew Alcindor, as he explained to Warriors.com in 2014.
“The night prior to he was going to play versus me for the initial time, he was playing down in Los Angeles,” Thurmond said. “At that time it was regarding $16.50, $twenty round trip, something love that, something very, fairly accessible to my wallet.
“I had a friend get hold of a couple of tickets. I flew down to L.A., went to the game, had a seat where I could see where he planted his feet and exactly what he did along with his feet … I don’t already know the last stats As soon as he was here, however I already know that I held him or her to his lowest production that year … It was the very best $25 I ever spent.”
Thurmond was born July 25, 1941, in Akron, Ohio. He starred at Central Hower Higher School, where his teammates included future NBA star Gus Johnson.
After a prolific occupation at Bowling Green State University, Thurmond went to the Warriors as the third overall choose in the 1963 NBA draft. He fell in adore along with the Bay Location almost immediately because, for one thing, it didn’t snow.
“After I was out here for regarding 4-5 months, I called my mother and said, ‘Hey, Mom, that bedroom you’re saving for me? Rent it out. I won’t be back,’ ” Thurmond told the Bay Location News Group last year.
As a rookie, he served as an apprentice under Chamberlain, playing sparingly for a group that reached the NBA Finals prior to losing to the Boston Celtics.
Thurmond was eager to make his mark, even as a youngster, however facing Chamberlain daily in technique proved a blessing. “Being able to attempt and learn Exactly how to guard a guy that was the most prolific scorer the league had ever known was something that was helpful for my career,” he told Warriors.com.
Midway through the complying with season, the Warriors traded Chamberlain to Philadelphia and moved Thurmond from electricity forward to center.
He stayed there for the next decade. Only Chris Mullin (807) played a lot more games in a Warriors uniform compared to Thurmond (757).
After being traded by the Warriors to Chicago prior to Golden State’s 1974-75 championship season, he played a year and modification along with the Bulls prior to being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2 the Warriors and Cavs have actually retired his No. 42 jersey.
Thurmond was inducted in to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Staff writer Carl Steward contributed to this report.
