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"Seattle SuperSonics" Rod Thorn Hand Signed 3X5 Card Todd Mueller COA
$ 7.38
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Description
Up for auction the"Seattle SuperSonics" Rod Thorn Hand Signed 3X5 Card.
This item is certified authentic by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.
ES-1819
Rodney King Thorn (born May 23, 1941) is an American basketball executive and a former professional player and coach, Olympic Committee Chairman, with a career spanning over 50 years. In 2018, Thorn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Thorn attracted nationwide attention after a high school basketball career at Princeton High School in his hometown of Princeton, West Virginia that saw him average more than 30 points per game as a senior. He was a three-time all-state selection and was a two-time High School All-American. Thorn was also a highly regarded high school baseball player, before a head injury took him away from the sport for a time. Thorn was looking at colleges, including Duke University, when the West Virginia State Legislature passed a resolution designating Thorn as a state Natural Resource. This in order to persuade him to emulate native Jerry West and attend West Virginia University. Thorn did just that. 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 career as a player with the Seattle SuperSonics (1967–1971). Thorn averaged a career high 15.2 points with 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, in 1967-1968, as the expansion SuperSonics finished 23-58 under Coach Al Bianchi. The SuperSonics improved to 30-52 in 1968-1969, with Thorn averaging 11.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists at age 27. Thorn's teammate from St. Louis, Lenny Wilkins became the player/Coach of the SuperSonics in 1969-1970 and the team improved to 36-46, in Wilkins' first Coaching season. Wilkins would lead the SuperSonics to the NBA Championship in 1979, and would coach in the NBA until 2005, winning 1332 games in 32 seasons. Injured, Thorn averaged 2.9 points in 19 games. In 1970-1971, Thorn finished his playing career, playing in 63 games off the bench, averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 assists for the 38-44 SuperSonics. Overall, in eight NBA seasons, Thorn averaged 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 466 games.