ottis thorpe-player info, photos

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-Starappearance 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 Darko Miličić, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and 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 NBA history

As of the end of the 2009-10 NBA season, Thorpe is ranked among the top 100 in NBA history in the following categories:

• 18th in games played (1257)
• 23rd in minutes played (39822)
• 63rd in field goals (6872)
• 16th in field goal percentage (.546)
• 13th in offensive rebounds (3446)
• 21st in defensive rebounds (6924)
• 32nd in total rebounds (10370)
• 27th in turnovers (2774)
• 10th in personal fouls (4146)
• 66th in points (17600)
• 40th in true shooting percentage (.584)

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]

It had been eight seasons since PC had enjoyed the services of an All-America big man and Friar basketball was at one of its all-time lows. Otis Thorpe was the bright spot in the dark, early years of Providence College and its membership in the BIG EAST Conference. A powerful rebounder, Thorpe was a two-time team MVP. He still ranks seventh on the all-time rebounding list at Providence and was the first player since Marvin Barnes to average over 10 rebounds per game in a season. A two-time Honorable Mention All-America selection, Thorpe was PC's first First Team All-BIG EAST player.

The longest and most successful NBA career of any PC Friar probably belongs to Otis Thorpe. Thorpe was selected ninth overall in the 1984 NBA Draft by Kansas City and made an immediate impact for the Kings, averaging 12.8 points per game. After cracking the starting lineup in 1986, Thorpe quickly became one of the league's best power forwards and a rebounding machine, averaging a double-double consistently during his prime. Thorpe's most impressive statistic, however, was field goal percentage. For his career, Otis shot 54.6% from the field and still ranks first on the Houston Rockets all-time list in that category. Thorpe made the All-Star team as a member of the Rockets in 1992 and was an integral part of the Houston Rockets' first NBA Championship in 1994. He continued to play professionally until 2001 and retired with over 17,000 points and 10,000 rebounds over his 17-year career. Thorpe holds career averages of 14.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.