Offensive Game
Reliable interior scorer with excellent post footwork and the strength to finish through contact. Averaged double digits for his entire Warriors tenure in an era of fierce interior competition.
Career Journey
San Francisco Warriors
1963-1971
Nathaniel Thurmond was an American professional basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and power forward positions. Thurmond was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record an official quadruple-double. In 1965, he grabbed 42 rebounds in a game; only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell recorded more rebounds in an NBA game. Thurmond was named a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985, one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Offensive Game
Reliable interior scorer with excellent post footwork and the strength to finish through contact. Averaged double digits for his entire Warriors tenure in an era of fierce interior competition.
Defensive Game
Elite all-time defender considered by contemporaries as one of the five greatest defensive centers ever. Recorded the NBA's first official quadruple-double. His shot-blocking and positioning were generationally elite.
All articles
Nate Thurmond played just two seasons in Cleveland, but his Hall of Fame presence transformed the Cavaliers into a legitimate playoff contender and fueled the legendary Miracle of Richfield.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
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Golden State Warriors
1971-1974
Chicago Bulls
1974-1975
Cleveland Cavaliers
1975-1977
Intangibles
Brilliant defensive mind who could read offensive sets and position himself before plays developed. His quadruple-double is evidence of complete two-way mastery rarely seen at the center position.
Personal Life & Family
Partner
Marci Thurmond
Off the Court
Community programs in San Francisco's Black communities
Youth basketball development in the Bay Area
Did You Know?
Thurmond recorded the first official quadruple-double in NBA history on October 18, 1974 — 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks — a feat that was only possible to document because the NBA had just begun tracking blocked shots as an official statistic.
For three seasons he served as Wilt Chamberlain's backup with the Warriors — learning his craft from arguably the greatest center in history, a mentorship that shaped his understanding of interior basketball at the highest level.
Contemporary coaches consistently rated Thurmond as one of the five greatest defensive centers ever to play — ahead of many players with more famous names and more documented statistics.
Thurmond spent the last years of his life in San Francisco, where he remained a beloved figure and Warriors ambassador until his passing in 2016.
Career Honors
7x NBA All-Star (1965-1968, 1970, 1973, 1974)
All-NBA Second Team (1967)
NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1985)
First official quadruple-double in NBA history (1974)
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Nate Thurmond gave the Warriors 11 seasons of elite defensive center play, recorded the NBA's first official quadruple-double, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. Here is why #42 belongs in the rafters.
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