Rod Thorn

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Lore & Background

Thorn attended West Virginia University, where he was an All-American guard. In the 1963 NCAA tournament, the Mountaineers defeated Connecticut 77–71, then lost to St. Joseph's 97–88, and defeated New York University 83–73 in the East Region third place game. Thorn was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1963 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets. He was traded from Baltimore to the Detroit Pistons on June 18, 1964. In 1975–76, as head coach of the Spirits of St. Louis, Thorn was fired in December 1975 after a 20–27 start, following discipline issues with Marvin Barnes, who would arrive late on purpose to show he was 'in charge.'

In Their Own Story

Thorn was the No. 2 overall pick of the 1963 NBA draft, drafted by the Baltimore Bullets. In his rookie season 1963–64, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Following his first season, he was traded on June 18, 1964, to the Detroit Pistons. Detroit then traded him on December 24, 1965, to the St. Louis Hawks. 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 playing career with Seattle (1967–1971), averaging a career-high 15.2 points in 1967–68. In 1969–70, his teammate from St. Louis, Lenny Wilkens, became the player/coach of the SuperSonics; injured, Thorn averaged 2.9 points in 19 games. Overall, in eight NBA seasons, Thorn averaged 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 466 games. In 1971–72, Thorn joined Wilkens as an assistant with the SuperSonics. In 1973, former teammate Kevin Loughery hired Thorn as assistant coach of the New York Nets of the ABA, and the Nets won the 1974 ABA championship. Thorn was hired as head coach of the Spirits of St. Louis for the 1975–76 ABA season, but after a 20–27 start he was fired in December 1975. Thorn had discipline issues with star Marvin Barnes. "Marvin would come late for everything," Thorn said years later. "He'd come late on purpose to show, 'You don't control me. I'm in charge.'"

Reader's Guide

Thorn was a three-time all-state selection and two-time High School All-American at Princeton High School in Princeton, West Virginia. He played college basketball at West Virginia University, averaging 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds over three seasons. In the NBA, he played for the Baltimore Bullets, Detroit Pistons, St. Louis Hawks, and Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 466 games. He later served as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, where he drafted Michael Jordan in 1984, and as an executive with the New Jersey Nets, winning NBA Executive of the Year in 2002.

Did You Know?

• Thorn was also a highly regarded high school baseball player before a head injury took him away from the sport for a time.
• The West Virginia State Legislature passed a resolution designating Thorn as a state Natural Resource to persuade him to attend West Virginia University.
• Thorn wore #44 at West Virginia, the same number as Jerry West.
• Thorn scored 44 points in a 97–88 loss to St. Joseph's in the 1963 NCAA tournament.
• Thorn was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1963 NBA draft, drafted by the Baltimore Bullets.