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Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise.
Nathaniel Thurmond was born in 1941. He was the son of Andrew Thurmond and Leala Milbry.
He died in 2016.
Nate Thurmond passed away peacefully on July 16, 2016 after battling Leukemia for several months.
He was born in Akron, Ohio on July 25, 1941 and attended Spicer Elementary School and Akron Central Hower High School. Nate received his Bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University. He was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in 1963 where he was dubbed "Nate the Great" by fans and played with them for 11 seasons. He played out his last three years in Chicago and Cleveland.
A gentle giant of a man, he was one of the all-time great NBA centers. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985 and the NBA recognized him as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996. The Warriors and the Cavaliers both retired his No. 42 jersey. He continued to serve as Community Ambassador for the Warriors over 30 years.
He owned and operated Big Nate's Barbecue restaurant for 20 years.
He volunteered for many charities and for over 20 years was the spokesman for Good Tidings Foundation, which raises money for underserved youth through arts, education and sports.
He was preceded in death by his father, Andrew, his mother, Leala, and his brother, Ben. Left to mourn his passing are his loving wife, his son, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
He joined Providence Baptist Church and as a member of the Men's Ministry and the Noon Day Bible Study he showed great compassion, caring, comfort and cheer to those in need. (Note:Obituary edited to remove names of living persons and for brevity) [1]
See also:
T > Thurmond > Nathaniel Thurmond
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