Willie Alford Thornton (born December 7, 1983) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for Club Atlético Aguada of the Liga Uruguaya de Basketball. He had formerly played for the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

and the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. Collegiately, he played for Florida State University.

College career

Thornton's outstanding four-year career at Florida State University was capped off by a stellar individual senior year that saw him make the AP All-American squad as a third team choice, a unanimous selection as first-team All-ACC, and was runner-up to

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifi ...

Jared Dudley Jared Anthony Dudley (born July 10, 1985) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A forward, he played college basketball for ...

for the

ACC Player of the Year Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year refers to the most outstanding player for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in a given sport for a given season. For lists of individual sport ACC Players of the Year by year: *Atlantic Coast Confere ...

. He led the ACC in scoring and averaged over 7 rebounds per game as well. His season came to a disappointing end as the Seminoles did not qualify for the NCAA tournament for the ninth straight season and were forced to play in the NIT.

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers

On June 28, 2007, Thornton was taken 14th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the

. Thornton also has the same agent as Yao Ming. On July 9, Thornton played his first summer league game for the Clippers, scoring 24 points and registering 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks in a 108–102 loss to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. In just his third preseason game as a rookie, Thornton led the Clippers to a win over the Golden State Warriors with 24 points on 11–15 shooting, including a perfect 2–2 from behind the 3-point arc while also connecting on all 8 of his first attempts from the floor. With

Ruben Patterson Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned ...

in the starting lineup at the start of the season, Thornton would not get the playing time he had received during preseason. Patterson was waived on December 13, 2007 in order to give the rookie more playing time. With a slew of injuries to the Clippers' big men, including Paul Davis with a torn ACL, Tim Thomas with recurring back and ankle injuries, and

Elton Brand Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball for Duke, he was selecte ...

sidelined with a ruptured

achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

, Thornton took advantage of his minutes playing

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular c ...

when teammate

Corey Maggette Corey Antoine Maggette (; born November 12, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became an analyst for Fox Sports. High school and college career Magget ...

was on the bench. Al Thornton cropped

On January 30, 2008, Thornton scored a then season-high 33 points against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, including a significant block in the final seconds in a 95–88 Clipper win. Thornton also recorded his first

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

on February 9, in a loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

, in which he had 18 points and 10 rebounds. On March 29, 2008, Thornton equaled a rookie franchise record (and Clippers season-high) 39 points on 13 of 23 field goal shooting, 3 of 6 from behind the arch, and 10 of 12 from the line in a 110–97 win over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Thornton scored 20 of his 39 in the fourth quarter to seal the win and snap the Clippers' 10-game losing streak. On May 13, 2008, Al Thornton was named to the 2008

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

. On October 31, 2008, Thornton had a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds, a season high.

Washington Wizards

On February 17, 2010, Thornton was traded from the

to the

as part of a three-team, six-player trade that sent

Antawn Jamison Antawn Cortez Jamison (; born June 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison pl ...

from Washington to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

Žydrūnas Ilgauskas Zydrunas Ilgauskas ( lt, link=no, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas; ; born June 5, 1975) is a Lithuanian-born American former professional basketball player who played the center position. The 7'3" Ilgauskas played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the Nation ...

, a 2010 first round pick and the rights to Emir Preldžič from Cleveland to Washington,

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

from Washington to Los Angeles, and

Sebastian Telfair Sebastian Telfair (born June 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA and the Chinese Basketball Association. Telfair was picked thirteenth overall in the 2004 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers on ...

from Los Angeles to Cleveland.

Golden State Warriors

On March 1, 2011, he reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards and was waived. He signed a contract with the

on March 3, 2011. On March 14, 2011, Thornton scored 23 points against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

, his most points as a member of the Warriors.

Puerto Rico

On February 19, 2012, he signed with the Guayama Wizards of the Puerto Rican basketball league

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Nac ...

. There he averaged 18.7 points per game.

China

On September 29, 2012, Thornton signed with the

Zhejiang Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent con ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basi ...

. Due to injury, he was replaced mid-season by

Gary Forbes Gary Orlando Forbes (born February 25, 1985) is a Panamanian former professional basketball player for the Saigon Heat of the ASEAN Basketball League. He played college basketball initially at the University of Virginia, then transferred to the Un ...

Return to Puerto Rico

In March 2014, he rejoined the Guayama Wizards of the

Philippines

On January 2, 2015, he signed with the

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, currently playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014–2015 season. The Roa ...

. In January 2016, Thornton returned to the Philippines to play again for the NLEX Road Warriors for the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. Thornton was tapped to represent the Mighty Sports PH the representative club of the Philippines at the

2016 William Jones Cup The 2016 William Jones Cup was the 38th staging of William Jones Cup, an international basketball tournament. The men's tournament was held from 23–31 July 2016 at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The women's tournament was ...

. Thornton led the Mighty Sports-Philippines past

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

on its second day with 24 points in an 86-65 win. Thornton once again led the Mighty Sports by beating

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

81-101 with 30 points and on the following day versus

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

80-73 tallying 24 points and 10 rebounds. Thornton carried the Mighty Sports to a 7-0 win–loss record in the tournament with a double-double 20 points and 15 rebounds by beating

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

61-80 and eventually winning the gold medal with an unblemish record of 8-0 by beating Chinese Taipei B 80-104 on the last day of the tournament.

Japan

On February 28, 2018, Thornton signed with the Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League.

The BIG 3

Thornton had initially gone undrafted in the inaugural BIG 3 draft. Al was later acquired by Allen Iverson's 3's Company" team. Al provided "3's Company" with scoring off the bench and went on to become the league's first "4th man of the year".

Uruguay

On August 7, 2020, Thornton signed with Club Atlético Aguada of the Liga Uruguaya de Basketball.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division in the league's Western C ...

, 79 , , 31 , , 27.3 , , .429 , , .331 , , .743 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 71 , , 67 , , 37.4 , , .446 , , .253 , , .754 , , 5.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .9 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 30 , , 27.5 , , .478 , , .357 , , .741 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .4 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 24 , , 16 , , 28.1 , , .463 , , .353 , , .694 , , 4.3 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 49 , , 23 , , 21.8 , , .471 , , .160 , , .757 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 22 , , 0 , , 14.3 , , .490 , , .000 , , .829 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 6.0 , - class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2, Career , 296 , , 167 , , 28.0 , , .452 , , .293 , , .747 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , 11.9

Personal

Thornton is a cousin of fellow NBA player Marcus Thornton. He is the son of Alford and Philomenia Thornton.

References

External links

*
Washington Wizards profileDraftExpress.com profileESPN.com profileNBADraft.net profileRotoworld.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Al 1983 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players Baloncesto Superior Nacional players Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Big3 players Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Gaiteros del Zulia players Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Los Angeles Clippers players NLEX Road Warriors players People from Perry, Georgia Philippine Basketball Association imports Power forwards (basketball) Shimane Susanoo Magic players Small forwards Washington Wizards players Zhejiang Lions players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players