Thurl Bailey
Encyclopedia
Thurl Lee Bailey is an American
retired professional
basketball
player in the NBA whose career spanned from 1983 to 1999 with the Utah Jazz
and the Minnesota Timberwolves
.
and was a leader in the Wolfpack's miracle run to the 1983 NCAA Championship
. That year, under head coach Jim Valvano
, he led the Wolfpack in both scoring and rebounding. The Utah Jazz
selected him as the 7th pick of the 1983 NBA Draft
. Jazz management reported that he was selected for the quality of his character, as well as the quality of his game. This was the beginning of 16 years of his playing professional basketball, 12 of those years were with the NBA.
On November 25, 1991, he was traded by the Jazz along with a 1992 second-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Tyrone Corbin
. There he played for almost three seasons until 1994, when he left the NBA and played in the Greek League
(playing for Panionios
) for the 1994-95 season. From 1995 to 1998 he played in the Italian League
for Polti Cantù
in 1995-97 and Stefanel Milano
in 1997-98, before returning to the Jazz as a free agent
on January 21, 1999. He retired after the end of 1998-99 season.
fraternity's Exemplary Manhood Award, the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America
's American Champion Award and the Italian League's 1998 All Star Games Most Valuable Player.
, an actor, and a singer/song writer. Bailey's music includes uplifting songs as well as a fusion of R&B and Nu Soul. His albums include Faith In Your Heart (1998), The Gift of Christmas (2001), and I'm Not the Same (2002).
Thurl Bailey has some recent political involvement, delivering the invocation
at the 2008 Republican National Convention
.
with their three youngest children. Bailey has a daughter with his college sweetheart and two sons from his first marriage.
In 1995, while playing basketball in Italy, Bailey joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He frequently appears as an inspirational speaker at Mormon events.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
retired professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
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 in the NBA whose career spanned from 1983 to 1999 with the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
.
Basketball career
Bailey attended North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
and was a leader in the Wolfpack's miracle run to the 1983 NCAA Championship
1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 2, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known...
. That year, under head coach Jim Valvano
Jim Valvano
James Thomas Anthony "Jim" Valvano , nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball coach.While the head basketball coach at North Carolina State University, he won the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament against high odds...
, he led the Wolfpack in both scoring and rebounding. The Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
selected him as the 7th pick of the 1983 NBA Draft
1983 NBA Draft
The 1983 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1983 in New York City. A total of 226 players were selected over 10 rounds by the league's 23 teams. At least three players from the 1983 draft now serve as coaches...
. Jazz management reported that he was selected for the quality of his character, as well as the quality of his game. This was the beginning of 16 years of his playing professional basketball, 12 of those years were with the NBA.
On November 25, 1991, he was traded by the Jazz along with a 1992 second-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Tyrone Corbin
Tyrone Corbin
Tyrone Kennedy Corbin is the head coach of the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association. He was installed as head coach on February 10, 2011 following the resignation of longtime coach Jerry Sloan....
. There he played for almost three seasons until 1994, when he left the NBA and played in the Greek League
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
(playing for Panionios
Panionios Forthnet
Panionios B.C. is the Greek professional basketball club that plays its home games in Nea Smyrni, Athens, Greece. The club is also widely known as Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, or Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis, which is the Pan-Ionian Gymnastic Association of Smyrna. This is...
) for the 1994-95 season. From 1995 to 1998 he played in the Italian League
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
for Polti Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù is an Italian League professional basketball club that is based in Cantù. For sponsorship reasons, it is also known as Bennet Cantù, after Bennet, an Italian supermarket chain. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below...
in 1995-97 and Stefanel Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
in 1997-98, before returning to the Jazz as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on January 21, 1999. He retired after the end of 1998-99 season.
Community service
Throughout his career Bailey has also been involved in community service. He has directed basketball camps for youth since 1984 in which he teaches young people lessons about life and basketball. Bailey's basketball camps often focus on students with serious illnesses or disadvantaged backgrounds. Bailey's record of service has resulted in numerous awards for leadership and contributions to the community. Included in his awards are: the NBA's prestigious Kennedy Community Award, the Utah Association for Gifted Children's Community Service Award, Sigma Gamma ChiSigma Gamma Chi
Sigma Gamma Chi is the name of the fraternal organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Though it once was a national organization, it now only operates at the University of Utah.-History:...
fraternity's Exemplary Manhood Award, the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
's American Champion Award and the Italian League's 1998 All Star Games Most Valuable Player.
Career after the NBA
Bailey currently is a public speaker, a broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz and the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, an actor, and a singer/song writer. Bailey's music includes uplifting songs as well as a fusion of R&B and Nu Soul. His albums include Faith In Your Heart (1998), The Gift of Christmas (2001), and I'm Not the Same (2002).
Thurl Bailey has some recent political involvement, delivering the invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
at the 2008 Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
.
Personal life
Bailey is a devoted family man and the father of six children. He and his wife Sindi live in Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
with their three youngest children. Bailey has a daughter with his college sweetheart and two sons from his first marriage.
In 1995, while playing basketball in Italy, Bailey joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He frequently appears as an inspirational speaker at Mormon events.
External links
- Historical Player Profile at NBA.com