Thurmond, Nate (1941-2016), ranks among the leading rebounders in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6-foot, 11-inch (211-centimeter) center, Thurmond averaged 15 rebounds a game during his 14-year NBA career. He set a franchise record for the Golden State Warriors with 12,771 career rebounds. Thurmond was an outstanding defensive player. He was named to the NBA all defensive first or second team five times.
Nathaniel Thurmond was born in Akron, Ohio, on July 25, 1941. He was a basketball star at Bowling Green University, graduating in 1963. The San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors selected him on the first round of the 1963 NBA draft. He played for the Warriors until 1974, when he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Chicago traded Thurmond to Cleveland in 1975, where he played until he retired in 1977. Thurmond was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. He died on July 16, 2016.
