Rod Thorn

Thorn attended West Virginia University. He wore #44, the same number as Jerry West, who had just graduated.[3] At WVU, he was an All-American guard in basketball, as well as playing three seasons on the WVU baseball team.[4]

In 1960-1961, as a sophomore (freshman could not play varsity in his era), Thorn averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Coach George King and the 23-4 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team.[5]

Thorn improved and West Virginia finished 24-6 in 1961-1962. The Mountaineers were invited to the 1962 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, where they lost to Villanova 90-75.[6] Thorn averaged 23.7 points and 12.1 rebounds. He was the Southern Conference Player of the Year and a 2nd Team All-American selection, beside John Havlicek of Ohio State University, among others.[7][8]

In 1962-1963, Thorn averaged 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds as a senior. West Virginia finished 23-8 and qualified for the 1963 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament. In the NCAA's, they defeated Connecticut 77-71, as Thorn had 17 points and 7 rebounds. Thorn was outstanding in the Mountaineers' 97-88 loss to St. Josephs, scoring 44 points in a 96-88 loss. He then scored 33 points with 9 rebounds in a 83-73 win over New York University in the East Region 3rd place game, his final collegiate game.[9][10] Thorn was again selected as a 2nd Team All-American beside Bill Bradley, among others.[7]

Overall, Thorn averaged 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds in 81 games during his three seasons at West Virginia.[8]

Thorn was the No. 2 overall pick of the 1963 NBA draft, drafted by the Baltimore Bullets.[11]

In his rookie season 1963-1964, Thorn was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Bullets under Hall of Fame Coach Slick Leonard.[12]

Following his first season, Thorn was traded on June 18, 1964. Baltimore traded Thorn, with Terry Dischinger and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bob Ferry, future Hall of Famer Bailey Howell, Les Hunter, Wali Jones and Don Ohl. In 1964-1965, Thorn averaged 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Pistons. The team didn't make the playoffs under Charles Wolf (2-9) and 24 year old player/coach Dave DeBusschere (29-40).[13][14]

Detroit, with Thorn averaging 13.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists, traded him on December 24, 1965. The Pistons sent Thorn to the St. Louis Hawks for John Tresvant and Chico Vaughn. Thorn averaged 8.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 46 games with the Hawks as a reserve. Playing alongside Future Hall of Famers Richie Guerin (player/coach), Zelmo Beaty, Lenny Wilkins and Cliff Hagan, as well as Joe Caldwell, Paul Silas and Bill Bridges, Thorn saw his minutes reduced. The Hawks lost the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Division Finals 4-3 after having beaten Baltimore 3-0 to advance.[15]

In 1966-1967, Thorn averaged 8.8 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Hawks as they added Lou Hudson and finished 39-42. The Hawks defeated the expansion Chicago Bulls 3-0 in the playoffs, before losing to the San Francisco Warriors with Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond 4-2 in the Western Division finals. Thorn averaged 10.2 points in the series.[16][17]

On May 1, 1967, Thorn was drafted by the expansion Seattle SuperSonics from the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA expansion draft. He concluded his career as a player with the Seattle SuperSonics (1967–1971).[18]

Thorn averaged a career high 15.2 points with 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, in 1967-1968, as the expansion SuperSonics finished 23-58 under Coach Al Bianchi.[19]

The SuperSonics improved to 30-52 in 1968-1969, with Thorn averaging 11.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists at age 27.[20]

Thorn's teammate from St. Louis, Lenny Wilkins became the player/Coach of the SuperSonics in 1969-1970 and the team improved to 36-46, in Wilkins' first Coaching season. Wilkins would lead the SuperSonics to the NBA Championship in 1979, and would coach in the NBA until 2005, winning 1332 games in 32 seasons.[21][22] Injured, Thorn averaged 2.9 points in 19 games.

In 1970-1971, Thorn finished his playing career, playing in 63 games off the bench, averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 assists for the 38-44 SuperSonics.[23]

Overall, in eight NBA seasons, Thorn averaged 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 466 games.[13]

In 1978, Thorn became the general manager of the Chicago Bulls and served in that role until March, 1985. Thorn hired Jerry Sloan as Head Coach, drafted Reggie Theus and had Artis Gilmore in the middle. Thorn replaced Sloan on the bench to finish the 1981-1982 season (15-15).[28][29]

In 1984, he famously oversaw team's selection of Michael Jordan with the No. 3 pick of the 1984 NBA draft.[30] (he also selected track star Carl Lewis, with the draft on the eve of the 1984 Olympic Games, simply for patriotic publicity purposes).[31]

Thorn negated numerous trade offers for the Bulls' No. 3 pick in 1984. There was maneuvering for Jordan to go to Philadelphia where North Carolina star Billy Cunningham was the 76ers coach. There was further speculation Thorn might select Jordan's North Carolina’s teammate Sam Perkins, (who was drafted at No. 4), because the Bulls had recently selected shooting guards in previous drafts and Thorn had just traded All-Star Reggie Theus. However, Thorn drafted Jordan, and the Bulls' foundation was in place.[2]

Thorn hired Kevin Loughery as head coach and the team struggled with youth. Thorn left the Bulls when he and Loughery were fired in March, 1985 and new owner Jerry Reinsdorf hired Jerry Krause as G.M.[32]

From 1986 to 2000 Thorn was the NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, serving as the league's chief disciplinarian.[33]

Thorn chaired the USA Basketball Men's National Team Selection Committee in 1992, 1996 and 2000. The "Dream Team" for the 1992 Summer Olympics (Barcelona) was assembled and the committee put together the Olympic gold-medal USA teams in 1996 and 2000.[34]

Thorn rejoined the Nets organization on June 2, 2000, and he was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2002 after the Nets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.[35] During the 2010 offseason, Rod Thorn announced he would step down from the Nets' organization.

On August 11, 2010, Thorn was hired as president of the 76ers, taking over the title from Ed Stefanski, who remained with the team as the general manager.[36]

On October 18, 2011, prior to a press conference introducing the 76ers' new ownership group, it was announced that Stefanski was leaving the organization and Thorn would be both president and general manager. In 2012, Tony DiLeo was named the team's general manager, but Thorn retained his title as president.[37]

On July 10, 2013, the National Basketball Association announced that Rod Thorn had been named President of Basketball Operations, effective August 1, after Stu Jackson decided to step down.[38]

On April 26, 2014 Thorn, on behalf of the NBA, suspended Wizard Nene Hilario from game 4 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.[39]

In 2015, Thorn briefly retired from the NBA.[40]

In 2015, Thorn, semi-retired, became a Special Consultant for the Milwaukee Bucks.[34][41]

Of his career, “I’ve been unbelievably fortunate to be in the right place so many times,” said Thorn. “To come from a place with 7,000 people sometimes you pinch yourself and think, ‘Wow, how fortunate I’ve been.’ When I played we got $8 in meal money. We were like a barnstorming league. I can remember playing 16 straight days in preseason in one little high school after the next. You couldn’t tell me the NBA would end up where it is and I would be a first hand witness to so many great things. That’s one of the things I’m proudest of, just being on the scene and sometimes having a little something to do with what transpired. It’s been a lot of fun.”[2]