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

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Peñarol Mar del Plata of the

Liga Nacional de Básquet Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

(LNB). He had formerly played for the

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

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. Collegiately, he played for

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

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 The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

's Jared Dudley for the ACC Player of the Year. 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. 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 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 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 and are typi ...

and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, including a significant block in the final seconds in a 95–88 Clipper win. Thornton also recorded his first double-double on February 9, in a loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

, 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 Southwest Division of the ...

. 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 play ...

. 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 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

Žydrūnas Ilgauskas Zydrunas Ilgauskas (; ; born June 5, 1975) is a Lithuanian-born American former professional basketball player who played the center (basketball), center position. The Ilgauskas played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Asso ...

, 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 Monumental Sports Network. The power forward (basketball), power forward played 14 seasons in the Nationa ...

from Washington to Los Angeles, and Sebastian Telfair 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

, 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 list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

. 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 men's professional 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 basis ...

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

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. He made his debut during the 2015 Commissioner's Cup in a loss to the

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise righ ...

with 28 points and 12 rebounds. In a loss to the Alaska Aces, he led the team with 39 points and 13 rebounds. He was then held to a PBA career-low 11 points on 3-of-14 from the field. He bounced back with 39 points and 15 rebounds as he finally led NLEX to its first win of the conference. From there, NLEX won five straight games to get into the playoffs, including a win over Barangay Ginebra in which he scored 50 points. In the playoffs, they were swept by the Meralco Bolts. In January 2016, Thornton returned to the Philippines to play again for NLEX for the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. He started NLEX's campaign by scoring 50 points once again in an overtime win over Ginebra. In a triple overtime game against the San Miguel Beermen, he scored 69 points, the highest in his career and most by any PBA player in over two decades, but his team still lost. NLEX did not qualify for the playoffs that conference. Thornton was tapped to represent the Mighty Sports PH the representative club of the Philippines at the 2016 William Jones Cup. Thornton led the Mighty Sports-Philippines past

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

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, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

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 ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

61-80 and eventually winning the gold medal with an unblemished 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 Allen Ezail Iverson ( ; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "The Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as both a shooting guard and point guard. As an NBA rook ...

'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.

Uruguay

On August 7, 2020, Thornton signed with Club Atlético Aguada of the

Liga Uruguaya de Basketball Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 79 , , 31 , , 27.3 , , .429 , , .331 , , .743 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 71 , , 67 , , 37.4 , , .446 , , .253 , , .754 , , 5.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .9 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 51 , , 30 , , 27.5 , , .478 , , .357 , , .741 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .4 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 24 , , 16 , , 28.1 , , .463 , , .353 , , .694 , , 4.3 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 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 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 Shimane Susanoo Magic players Small forwards Washington Wizards players Zhejiang Lions players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's 3x3 basketball players Brujos de Guayama players Suwon KT Sonicboom players American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Uruguay Club Atlético Aguada players Peñarol de Mar del Plata basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Argentina Trotamundos de Carabobo players Mighty Sports players Club Atlético Olimpia players