John Thompson’s family has announced the death of the former basketball coach. “It breaks our hearts to pass on the news of our father, John Thompson, Jr.,” said a statement released by Georgetown University. “Our father was an inspiration to many and devoted his life to developing young people not only on, but especially outside the basketball court.”
Thompson joined the NBA in 1964 as a player and won two championships with the Boston Celtics. Thompson became known nationwide as a trainer in Georgetown (1972 to 1999). He became the first black coach to win the college championship (NCAA) title in 1984. His trademark was the towel over his shoulder, in the 27 years in Georgetown Thompson celebrated a total of 596 wins out of 239 defeats.
Thompson was known for insisting on his players’ degrees. As well as being a trainer, he was also a kind of social worker who took care of off-court problems. That also impressed later NBA greats such as Patrick Ewing, Allan Iverson or Dikembe Mutombo. Iverson later said of his mentor, “He saved my life.” Mutombo wrote on The Players Tribune how Thompson believed in him and promoted his career.
