In the great dynasty of dominant pivots, Nate Thurmond (born July 25, and died aged 74 in 2016) is often forgotten. Not as dominant as Wilt Chamberlain, or not as victorious as Bill Russell, he is nonetheless one of the greatest pivots in NBA history. Born in 1941 in Akron, Ohio (like LeBron James and Stephen Curry…), Nate Thurmond plays alongside Gus Johnson in high school, and already dominates the statistics with averages of 17.8 points and 17.0 rebounds in three seasons.
In 1963, this 2m11 interior was drafted third by the San Francisco Warriors, who had already drafted Wilt Chamberlain, the best player in the world, in 1959.
Inevitably, as he evolves in the same position and Wilt Chamberlain squats the floors (46 minutes per match), he learns in the shadow of the “stilt walker”. In 1964, he participated and lost the NBA Finals against Boston.
During the 1964-65 season, Wilt Chamberlain is transferred to the 76ers and Nate Thurmond recovers the starting place at the Warriors and his statistics explode. On February 28, 1965, he downright swallowed 18 rebounds in a quarter (NBA record)! Not enough to allow the Warriors to find the Finals. In fact, it was not until the arrival of Rick Barry to see the Warriors on top again, but they again lost the NBA Finals in 1967 against the Sixers of… Wilt Chamberlain. The following year, Nate Thurmond compiled a huge double “double-double” average: 20.5 points, 22 rebounds per game.
A mix of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell
Finally, it was on October 18, 1974 that he made history. Against Atlanta and under the colors of the Bulls, he managed the first quadruple-double in NBA history with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks. A feat made possible by the support of counters and interceptions by statisticians. Only three players have since imitated him: Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Alvin Robertson.
On the floor, Nate Thurmond was the perfect compromise between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell: undoubtedly better offensively than the pivot of the Celtics, he was also better defensively than the pivot of the Lakers. A real kingpin, old-fashioned, tough on pain and needy. ” He played against me better than anyone recalls Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ” He was tall, had long arms, and was nimble and strong. When I scored against Nate, I knew I had achieved something. »
Like LeBron James in 2014, he returned “home” to play his last two seasons in Cleveland where he retired in 1977. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1985, was seven times All Star and he is still today the fifth best rebounder in NBA history on average with 15 catches per game. His number 42 was retired in Cleveland and Golden State. Suffering from leukemia, he died on July 16, 2016 at the age of 74.
Career averages : 15 points, 15 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 964 games.
Article originally published on July 25, 2014
