Thurl Bailey

Former NBA power forward, Jazz broadcaster, and singer/songwriter known as 'Big T'.

Thurl Lee Bailey Sr. (born April 7, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward, his National Basketball Association (NBA) career spanned from 1983 to 1999 with the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bailey has been a broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah— in addition to work as an inspirational speaker, singer, songwriter, and film actor. Bailey garnered the nickname "Big T" during his basketball career.

Quick Facts

Born: 7 April 1961
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., U.S.
High school: Bladensburg (Bladensburg, Maryland)
College: NC State (1979–1983)
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 7
Drafted by: Utah Jazz
Career number: 41

Lore & Background

Bailey attended North Carolina State University and was a leader in the Wolfpack's miracle run to the 1983 NCAA Championship. That year, under head coach Jim Valvano, he led the Wolfpack in both scoring and rebounding. The Utah Jazz selected him as the 7th pick of the 1983 NBA draft. Jazz management reported that he was selected for the quality of his character, as well as the quality of his game. This was the beginning of 16 years of playing professional basketball, with 12 of those years in the NBA. Bailey's career-high points game came on March 14, 1988, when he scored 41 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 116–115 win over the Denver Nuggets. Bailey was a starter with the Jazz for most of his first two seasons, but with the drafting of Karl Malone, Jazz coach Frank Layden made Bailey one of the first options off the bench. As a result, Bailey had his two finest NBA seasons in 1987–88 (19.6 ppg, played in all 82 games and started ten times) and 1988–89 (19.5 ppg, 82 games, three starts). Both seasons saw him finish second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. During Bailey's Utah tenure, he played in 708 regular-season games, missing only four games in which he was eligible to play. On November 25, 1991, he was traded by the Jazz along with a 1992 second-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Tyrone Corbin. Bailey holds the unusual distinction of playing 84 combined regular-season games during the 1991–92 season for both teams. He played for almost three seasons in Minnesota, until 1994, when he left the NBA and played in the Greek League (playing for Panionios) for the 1994–95 season. From 1995 to 1998, he played in the Italian League for Polti Cantù in 1995–97 and Stefanel Milano in 1997–98, before returning to the Jazz as a free agent on January 21, 1999. He retired after the end of the 1998–99 season.

Reader's Guide

Bailey is a public speaker, a broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah, an actor, and a singer/songwriter. Bailey's albums include Faith in Your Heart (1998), The Gift of Christmas (2001), and I'm Not the Same (2002). Bailey is chairman of Big T Productions, Fertile Earth (which has a patent pending on a fertilizer that works through irrigation sprinkler systems), and FourLeaf Films. He works with various charities, including Make-A-Wish, D.A.R.E., and the Happy Factory. Bailey continues to coach in the Salt Lake City area using the private coaching service CoachUp.

Did You Know?

Bailey was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in a high-crime neighborhood of Seat Pleasant, Maryland bordering D.C.
He was a graduate of Bladensburg High School in Bladensburg, Maryland.
Bailey is the father of six children. He has a daughter, Chonell, with his high school sweetheart and two sons, Thurl Jr., and TeVaun from his first marriage.
Bailey was raised Baptist. While playing basketball in Italy, Bailey decided to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized on December 31, 1995.
Bailey delivered the benediction on the final night of the 2008 Republican National Convention.