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Thomas Jordan (basketball)

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Thomas Jordan
Personal information
Born (1968-05-23) May 23, 1968 (age 56)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolLake Clifton (Baltimore, Maryland)
CollegeOklahoma State (1988–1989)
NBA draft1989: undrafted
Playing career1988–2003
PositionPower forward
Number55, 50
Career history
1988Eczacıbaşı SK
1989–1990Atenas Córdoba
1990Deportivo San Andrés
1990–1992A.E.K. Athens
1992–1993Granollers
1993Philadelphia 76ers
1993Gigantes de Carolina
1993Olimpia Milano
1993–1994CB Zaragoza
1994Aguadilla
1994–1995Pagrati
1995Aguadilla
1995–1996Ülkerspor
1996Aguadilla
1996Saski Baskonia
1996–1997Atenas Córdoba
1997Aguadilla
1997–1998Cantabria
1998Cangrejeros de Santurce
1998S.S. Felice Scandone
1998–1999Libertad
1999Brooklyn Kings
1999Mets de Guaynabo
1999–2000Valladolid
2000Gimnasia La Plata
2002–2003Skonto
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Thomas Edward Jordan (born May 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player, whose club career spanned from 1988 to 2003.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life

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Jordan was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Lake Clifton High School, where he played for the high school basketball team, averaging 22.0 points and 12.7 rebounds per game during his senior year. He was once ranked the top-rated high school basketball player in the Baltimore area.[6][7]

In 1987, during his senior year in high school, Jordan infamously walked out in the middle of the Metro Classic Championship game between Lake Clifton, and St. Maria Goretti High School at the Baltimore Arena; Jordan was upset, because his teammates were not passing him the ball. He was taken out of the game with several minutes left in the second quarter, and with his team trailing at halftime, 38–28, he went into the locker room, got dressed into his street clothes, and left the arena to go home. Without Jordan in the second half, Lake Clifton lost the championship game, 73–72, as Rodney Monroe of St. Maria Goretti made a 60-foot shot at the buzzer.[8][9][7][10][11]

College career

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Jordan played college basketball at Oklahoma State University;[6] he was ineligible as a freshman in the 1987–88 season, due to low test scores, and failing to qualify under NCAA Proposition 48 guidelines.[12][13][14][15] In his sophomore year, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting .586 in field-goal percentage for the Cowboys during the 1988–89 season. Jordan's decision to leave college early to play professionally was due to a lack of team chemistry.[10]

Jordan said that he never "enjoyed" basketball, he only "played it." He used the sport as a means to get a free college education, and any desires of playing professionally was not necessarily his goal.[8][7] In October 1988, Jordan told The Oklahoman newspaper:

"I don't like basketball; I just play it. It's a vehicle for a free ride (college scholarship). If the air blew up the ball, I'm not going to cry. Don't get me wrong, I won't turn down a pro career if that comes, but I'm not counting on it."[7]

Professional career

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After his sophomore year of college, Jordan began a pro club career. He played professionally for 14 years, in six countries, which included time spent playing in the National Basketball Association. In April 1993, Jordan was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia 76ers, who signed him to a 10-day contract; he played in the final four games of the 1992–93 NBA season, averaging 11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game off the bench as the team's sixth man.[16][10][17][18][19]

Jordan was also a free agent in the Minnesota Timberwolves' training camp prior to the 1993–94 NBA season, but did not play for them.[20][21][18] In the 1994 off-season, he played for the New York Knicks in the Doral Arrowwood Summer League, before returning to play overseas until his retirement in 2003.[18]

Personal life

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Jordan has a younger brother named Alexander Mobley, who also played basketball; Mobley attended Dunbar High School in Washington D.C., and played college basketball at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.[22][23][24][25]

References

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  1. ^ "Thomas Jordan NBA stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  2. ^ "Thomas Jordan". ACB.com. Liga ACB. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  3. ^ "Thomas Jordan #50". legabasket.it. Lega Basket. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  4. ^ "Jordan, Thomas". bsnpr.com. Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  5. ^ "Thomas Jordan". TBLStat.net. Turkish Basketball League. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Kensler, Tom (November 13, 1986). "Cowboys Sign Top-Rated Baltimore Center Jordan". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Kensler, Tom (October 26, 1988). "Reluctant Poke O-State's Jordan Stands 6-10, and He Doesn't Like Basketball". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Huff, Donald (March 31, 1987). "Jordan Walks Back Onto Court". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Kensler, Tom (April 5, 1987). "OSU's Jordan Gains Infamy After Walkout". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Bembry, Jerry (April 23, 1993). "If NBA Is a Dream, Thomas Jordan Is for Real; Ex-Lake Clifton Star Suddenly a 76er". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  11. ^ Baker, Kent (February 28, 1995). "All-Time Top 20 Baltimore Area Boys High School Teams". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Kensler, Tom (July 31, 1987). "Pokes to Lose Jordan Under Proposition 48". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Kensler, Tom (August 25, 1987). "Future Looks Tall for Pokes". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Drum, Keith (September 24, 1987). "Prop 48 Hits Cream of Recruiting Crop". United Press International. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  15. ^ Kensler, Tom (November 15, 1987). "OSU Loaded With Talent for 1988-89". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Ford, Bob (April 20, 1993). "76ers Seek Their Own Jordan; Forward Thomas Jordan Is Expected to Join the Team in Time to Face Chicago Tonight". Philly.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Fernandez, Bernard (April 23, 1993). "An Heir Jordan for 76ers? Former Cowboy Gives Philly a Boost". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c Bembry, Jerry (July 21, 1994). "Burns, T. Jordan Camp Out, Hoping to Pitch NBA Tent". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  19. ^ Carlin, Ky (May 22, 2022). "Every Player in Philadelphia 76ers History Who Wore the No. 55 Jersey". Sixers Wire. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  20. ^ Bembry, Jerry (October 22, 1993). "Bullets Fall Short Again, Lose, 93-91; Unseld Tests Youth Late Against Wolves". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  21. ^ "Team-by-Team Look at the NBA for the 1993-94 Season". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 31, 1993. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "Johnson, Gray Are Centers of Distinction". The Baltimore Sun. March 12, 1991. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Widdman, Alan; Toney, Derek; Dunn, Katherine; Scherr, Rich (December 5, 1991). "The Baltimore Sun 1991-92 High School Basketall Preview: The Top 20; Dunbar, No. 1 in Nation, Can Expect Challenges From Several Area Teams". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Goldstein, Alan (November 25, 1995). "UMES Coach Menday Likes Team's Chances to Improve; Dunbar Product Mobley Expected to Play Big Role". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "Alexander Mobley College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
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