George Thompson (basketball)
George Thompson (November 29, 1947 – June 8, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'2" guard, he attended Erasmus Hall High School from which he graduated in 1965. He then attended Marquette University, where he played for coach Al McGuire. He held the Marquette scoring record for 40 years, and held the single season scoring record of over 20 ppg for 50 years before his record was broken by Markus Howard.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | November 29, 1947
Died | June 8, 2022 74) | (aged
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, New York) |
College | Marquette (1966–1969) |
NBA draft | 1969: 5th round, 66th overall pick |
Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
Playing career | 1969–1975 |
Position | Point guard |
Number | 25, 23, 24 |
Career history | |
1969–1972 | Pittsburgh Pipers / Condors |
1972–1974 | Memphis Tams |
1974–1975 | Milwaukee Bucks |
1975–1978 | Flamengo |
1979 | Club Municipal |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
Points | 8,114 (18.6 ppg) |
Rebounds | 1,457 (3.3 rpg) |
Assists | 1,561 (3.6 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the fifth round of the 1969 NBA draft but began his career with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the upstart American Basketball Association. Thompson played five seasons (1969–1974) in the ABA, including two with the Memphis Tams, appearing as an All-Star three times. He then played one season with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, in 1974–75. He scored 8,114 combined ABA/NBA career points.
Thompson holds the ABA record for free throws attempted in a single game with 30.[1]
Thompson was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.[2] Thompson is also in the Marquette Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Brooklyn New York Hall of Fame in October 2016. He died on June 8, 2022, of complications from diabetes.[3]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
ABA
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969–70 | Pittsburgh | 54 | - | 18.8 | .441 | .219 | .677 | 1.7 | 1.4 | - | - | 13.0 |
1970–71 | Pittsburgh | 82 | - | 30.1 | .471 | .256 | .715 | 3.5 | 2.5 | - | - | 18.5 |
1971–72 | Pittsburgh | 70 | - | 41.5 | .481 | .311 | .779 | 5.0 | 3.7 | - | - | 27.0 |
1972–73 | Memphis | 80 | - | 36.6 | .456 | .274 | .784 | 3.3 | 5.0 | - | - | 21.6 |
1973–74 | Memphis | 78 | - | 35.0 | .475 | .185 | .790 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 19.2 |
Career | 364 | - | 33.1 | .468 | .265 | .760 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 20.1 |
References
- The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. Villard Books. 1994. p. 209. ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
- A Hall of Fame night at the New York Athletic Club
- "Marquette's legendary player George Thompson passes away due to complications from diabetes". www.tmj4.com. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com