The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.
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For this article, we continue with the 42nd jersey number in the series, jersey No. 44, with 15 players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.
12 Jun 1996: NBA director of operations Rod Thorn looks on during game four of the NBA playoffs between the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Supersonics at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The Supersonics defeated the Bulls 107-86. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
The first of those players who did so in the Seattle SuperSonics era, guard alum Rod Thorn. After ending his college career at West Virginia, Thorn was picked up with the second overall selection of the 1963 NBA Draft by the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards).
The Princeton, West Virginia native would play the first season of his pro career with the Bullets. He also played for the Detroit Pistons and (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks before he was taken by Seattle in the 1967 expansion draft for the final four seasons of his NBA career.
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During his time suiting up for the Sonics, Thorn wore only jersey No. 44 and put up 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 44 – Rod Thorn (1967-71)