Nate Thurmond, American basketball player, Died at 74

  Sports

Nathaniel “Nate” Thurmond was born on July 25, 1941, and died on July 16, 2016.

He was an American basketball player best known for his career at the Golden State Warriors.

The 6’11”, Nate had dominated at both center and power forward, he was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record an official quadruple-double.

Nate Thurmond was also only one of three players, along with Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, to grab more than 40 rebounds in one NBA game.

He remained one of the best rebounders and shot blockers ever, named both a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Thurmond was known to fans as “Nate the Great”, Thurmond has had his #42 jersey retired by both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers franchises.

Nate played in high school with another future NBA star, Gus Johnson, at Akron Central.

He had passed on a scholarship offer to Ohio State, to avoid becoming Lucas’s backup there, Thurmond chose Bowling Green.

Nate was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1963 and was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors later that year.

When he retired, he returned to San Francisco and opened a restaurant, Big Nate’s BBQ, Which he sold after 20 years.

For a short while, he did broadcasting.

Nate Thurmond passed away at 74 due to leukemia.