Legendary Warriors center Nate Thurmond has passed away at the age of 74.
Thurmond died Saturday morning in San Francisco following a brief battle with leukemia, the Warriors announced per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
The Warriors announce that Nate Thurmond passed away this morning in San Francisco at the age of 74 after a short battle with leukemia.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 16, 2016
The Akron, Ohio native was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time All Defensive Team selection. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History upon the 50th anniversary of the league in 1996.
As a dominating, physical paint presence, Thurmond was one of the Association’s more underrated big men of the late ’60s and early ’70s, famously doing battle with some of his better-known counterparts like Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more than holding his own.
Thurmond finished his 14-year NBA career with averages of 15.0 points per game and 15.0 rebounds per game and will always be known for helping put the Warriors on the map during their first several years in the Bay Area.
Image via KRON 4 on YouTube
