Playing Career
After graduating from Archbishop Carroll, Thompson went to Providence College, where he played on the 1963 NIT Championship team, and was part of the first Providence NCAA tournament team in 1964. He was an All-American in his senior year of 1964. Upon graduation, Thompson was the Friars' all-time leader in points, scoring average, and field goal percentage, and second in rebounds. Currently, Thompson is eleventh on the all-time scoring list at PC, fourth in scoring average, sixth in field goal percentage, and third in rebounds.
He played two years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics in 1964–1966. At 6'10" (2.08 m), 270 lbs (122.5 kg) he backed up Bill Russell, the Celtics' star center, en route to two championships. Nicknamed "The Caddy" for his secondary role to Russell, his career as a player was unimpressive, however, and he retired in 1966 to begin a much more successful career in coaching.
Before retiring from playing basketball in 1966, Thompson had been selected by the Chicago Bulls in that year's expansion draft.
Read more about this topic: John Thompson (basketball)
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