Marcus Terrell Thornton (born June 5, 1987 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player for the Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 of the NBA

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

.

High school career

He averaged 27 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Tara High School in Baton Rouge, LA

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

.

College career

He played two years at Kilgore College

Kilgore College

Kilgore College is a community college located in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment of more than 5000 students.The school was established in 1935 at the height of the East Texas oil boom...

, a junior college in Kilgore, Texas

Kilgore, Texas

Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk Counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn...

, where he earned All-American honors. He completed his collegiate career at Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

 (LSU) where he was named the 2009 Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

Professional career

Thornton was the 43rd pick by the Miami Heat

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

 at the 2009 NBA Draft

2009 NBA Draft

The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...

, but his rights were traded to the New Orleans Hornets. On the 23rd of February 2010, Marcus Thornton broke the Hornets franchise record for the most points scored in a quarter with 23. He finished with 37 points. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team.

On February 23, 2011, Thornton was traded to the Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 in exchange for Carl Landry

Carl Landry

Carl Christopher Landry is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. He played collegiate basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers from 2004 to 2007. The 6'9", 248 lb power forward is the older brother of Marcus Landry...

.

On March 14, 2011, Thornton scored a career high 42 points against the Golden State Warriors.

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10

2009–10 NBA season

The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....

| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 73 || 17 || 25.6 || .451 || .374 || .814 || 2.9 || 1.6 || .8 || .2 || 14.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11

2010–11 NBA season

The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...

| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 46 || 0 || 16.2 || .410 || .376 || .758 || 2.8 || .9 || .4 || .1 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 27 || 23 || 38.1 || .450 || .361 || .805 || 4.7 || 3.4 || 1.7 || .2 || 21.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 146 || 40 || 25.0 || .443 || .371 || .801 || 3.2 || 1.7 || .8 || .1 || 13.6