John Thompson (basketball)

John Thompson

Thompson in 1984
Personal information
Born	(1941-09-02)September 2, 1941 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	August 30, 2020(2020-08-30) (aged 78) Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	269 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school	Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.)
College	Providence (1961–1964)
NBA draft	1964: 3rd round, 25th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career	1964–1966
Position	Center
Number	18, 5
Coaching career	1966–1999
Career history
As player:
1964–1966	Boston Celtics
As coach:
1966–1972	St. Anthony HS
1972–1999	Georgetown
Career highlights and awards
As player: 2× NBA champion (1965, 1966) Honorable mention All-American - AP (1964) Second-team Parade All-American (1960) As coach: NCAA Division I tournament champion (1984) 3x NCAA Regional—Final Four (1982, 1984, 1985) 6× Big East tournament champion (1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989) 5× Big East Conference regular season champion (1980, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1992) 2× Big East 7 division champion (1996, 1997) 2× ECAC tournament Southern Region champion (1975, 1976) ECAC Tournament South-Upstate Region champion (1979) Henry Iba Award (1982) NABC Coach of the Year (1985) UPI Coach of the Year (1987) 3× Big East Coach of the Year (1980, 1987, 1992)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Career coaching record
College	596–239 (.714)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals Head Coach for  United States Men's basketball Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Team competition

John Robert Thompson Jr. (September 2, 1941 – August 30, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and college basketball coach for the Georgetown Hoyas men's team. He became the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship in basketball when he led the Hoyas to the NCAA Division I national championship in 1984. Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Thompson played college basketball for the Providence Friars and earned honorable mention All-American honors in 1964. He played for two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics, who won an NBA championship in both seasons. Thompson became a high school coach in Washington, D.C., before coaching Georgetown for 27 seasons. He worked as a radio and television sports commentator after his retirement from coaching. Thompson earned a master's degree in Counseling and Guidance at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). He also served as an employee at the center for 4-H and Youth Development at UDC.^[1]