George Thompson (basketball)

George Thompson
Personal information
Born	November 29, 1947; Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	June 8, 2022 (aged 74)
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 [pt]
Career highlights and awards
	3× ABA All-Star (1972–1974); No. 24 retired by Marquette Golden Eagles;
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

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.

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

Legend
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

NBA


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1974–75	Milwaukee	73	-	27.2	.443	-	.785	2.5	3.1	0.9	0.1	10.7
Career		73	-	27.2	.443	-	.785	2.5	3.1	0.9	0.1	10.7

College


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1966–67	Marquette	29	-	-	.500	-	.658	7.2	-	-	-	18.0
1967–68	Marquette	29	-	-	.497	-	.648	8.6	1.2	-	-	22.9
1968–69	Marquette	29	-	-	.465	-	.725	7.9	1.9	-	-	20.2
Career		87	-	-	.487	-	.678	7.9	1.5	-	-	20.4

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

[encyc-1] The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. Villard Books. 1994. p. 209. ISBN 0-679-43293-0.

[2] A Hall of Fame night at the New York Athletic Club

[3] "Marquette's legendary player George Thompson passes away due to complications from diabetes". www.tmj4.com. Retrieved June 9, 2022.

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