Otis Thorpe

Otis Henry Thorpe (born August 5, 1962 in Boynton Beach, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played for several teams in the NBA.

Early years

Otis Thorpe graduated from Lake Worth Community High School in Florida. He played his college ball at Providence College. The school remembers him for having the longest NBA career of any Friar player. He was a powerful rebounder and a two-time MVP. He ranks seventh all-time at the school in rebounds and was the school's first First-Team Big East player. During his tenure at Providence College he was also a two-time Honorable Mention All-America selection.^[1]

NBA career

Thorpe was drafted by the Kansas City Kings as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1984 NBA Draft and played seventeen seasons in the NBA, seven and a half of which were played with the Houston Rockets. While with the Rockets, Thorpe made an All-Star appearance in 1992.

In 1994, Thorpe was an integral part of the Houston Rockets' first NBA Championship. He also holds the Rockets' all-time record for the highest field goal accuracy (55.9%).

Halfway through the next season, the Rockets realized that they were struggling and needed a change. The team sent Thorpe to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal for Clyde Drexler. He would only play 34 games for the Blazers before moving on to occupy the starting front court for the Detroit Pistons with Grant Hill for the next two years.

Before the start of the 1997-98 season, the Pistons dealt Thorpe to the Vancouver Grizzlies for a future first-round draft pick. This deal came back to haunt the franchise during the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery when they would have received the second pick and had their choice of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade, but were forced to hand the pick over to the Pistons because they had yet to honor the trade.

Thorpe would play 47 games with the Grizzlies before returning to the Kings. In the offseason, he was traded (along with Mitch Richmond) to the Washington Wizards for Chris Webber. He would finish his last two seasons with the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets. When Thorpe finished his last game in 2001, he was the last remaining member of the Kansas City Kings to retire.

Thorpe holds career averages of 14.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He retired from the Charlotte Hornets in 2001, finishing his career with over 17,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in the NBA.

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
• List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

References

External links

• ClutchFans.net Profile - Houston Rocket Fan Site
• Providence College Player Bio
• Nba.com profile