Background
Thorpe, Otis Henry was born on August 5, 1962 in Boynton Beach, Florida, United States.
Thorpe, Otis Henry was born on August 5, 1962 in Boynton Beach, Florida, United States.
Thorpe graduated in 1980 from Lake Worth Community High School in Florida.
He played college ball at Providence College. He had the longest of any former Friars player. He ranks seventh all-time at the school in rebounds and was the school"s first First-Team Big East player.
Kansas City Kings
Thorpe was drafted by the Kansas City Kings as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1984 National Basketball Association draft and played seventeen seasons in the National Basketball Association, seven and a half of which were played with the Houston Rockets.
Houston Rockets
While with the Rockets, Thorpe made an All-Star appearance in 1992. Thorpe played in 542 consecutive games between 1986 and 1992 and, at one time, held the longest streak of consecutive games played in the National Basketball Association. In 1994, Thorpe was an integral part of the Houston Rockets" first National Basketball Association Championship.
He also holds the Rockets" all-time record for the highest field goal accuracy (559%). 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.
Portland Trail Blazers
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. Memphis/Vancouver Grizzlies
Before the start of the 1997-1998 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 National Basketball Association Draft Lottery when they would have received the second pick and had their choice of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade, but they were forced to hand the pick over to the Pistons because they had yet to honor the trade.
(The Pistons used the pick to choose Darko Miličić)
Thorpe would play 47 games with the Grizzlies before returning to the Kings. Bouncing Around the League and Career Endings
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. 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 the National Basketball Association.
When Thorpe finished his last game in 2001, he was the last remaining member of the Kansas City Kings to retire.