Otis Thorpe

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Otis Thorpe

Position	Power forward
Height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Nationality	United States
Born	August 5, 1962 (age 44) Boynton Beach, Florida
High school	Lake Worth Community High School
College	Providence
Draft	9th overall, 1984 Kansas City Kings
Pro career	1984–2001
Former teams	Sacramento/Kansas City Kings Houston Rockets Portland Trailblazers Detroit Pistons Vancouver Grizzles Washington Wizards Miami Heat Charlotte Hornets
Awards	1992 NBA All-Star

Otis Henry Thorpe (born August 5, 1962 in Boynton Beach, Florida) is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA.

A graduate of Lake Worth Community High School, 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 his only All-Star appearance in 1992.

In 1994,Thorpe was an integral part of the Houston Rocket's 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 97-98 season, the Pistons dealt Thorpe to the Vancouver Grizzlies for a future first round pick. This deal came back to devastate the franchise during the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery when they would have received the second pick and had their choice of Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, or Chris Bosh but were forced to hand the pick over to the Pistons because they had yet to honor the trade.

Thorpe would play 47 games as a Grizzlies before returning to the Kings. In the offseason, he, along with Mitch Richmond would be traded 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 form the Charlotte Hornets in 2001, finishing his career with over 17,000 points and 10,000 rebounds.

[edit] External links

• ClutchFans.net Profile - Houston Rocket Fan Site