NBA Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star Nate Thurmond died Saturday at age 74 after a short battle with leukemia.
California"s Golden State Warriors, with whom Thurmond spent 11 of his 14-season career playing, announced his passing in a statement on their website.
"Weve lost one of the most iconic figures in the history of not only our organization, but the NBA in general," Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in the release. "Nate represented this franchise with class, dignity and humility as both a player and community relations ambassador for over 40 years. Without a doubt, he is one of the most beloved figures to ever wear a Warriors uniform."
"On behalf of the entire Warriors organization, our thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family, including his wife, Marci," Lacob continued. "We"ll miss his presence in his customary seats at our games next season, but his legacy will live forever."
Thurmond was drafted by the then-San Francisco Warriors in 1963, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985 for his legendary aggressive rebound defense.
In addition to his time on the Warriors, the 6-ft., 11-in. athlete also played two seasons for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. He retired in 1977 and was voted one of the NBAs 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
Decades after walking away from the game, Thurmond remained a Community Ambassador for the Warriors. He also ran a restaurant in San Francisco Big Nate"s BBQ which he sold in 2010.
His jersey, #42, has been retired by both the Warriors and the Cavaliers and hangs from the rafters at Warriors" Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Remembering Nate Thurmond Watch: Remembering Hall of Fame center Nate Thurmond
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Thurmond, a Hall of Fame center and longtime Golden State Warrior, died Saturday, July 16, 2016, after a short battle with leukemia.(Photo: AP)
As the NBA world mourns the loss of Nate Thurmond, Hall of Fame center who passed away on Saturday at the age of 74 after a short battle with leukemia, the league released a video remembering his legendary career.
In the video, Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain who played alongside a young Thurmond withthe San Francisco Warriors before heading toPhiladelphia and Los Angeles says that Thurmond was an "incredible defensive basketball player" who played him "as well as Bill Russell."
Hall of Fame forward Rick Barry, also Thurmond"s former Warriors"teammate,reiterated Chamberlain"s praise.
"Nate Thurmond would have to be recognized as one of the best defensive players that"s ever played the game."
Thurmond, who is also featured in the video from a 2007 interview, touches on his legacy, and the importance of being bigger than basketball.
"I was able to carve out a career that was admirable, and more importantly, I was able to carve out a situation where people respected me and liked the type of person that I was, long after they"ve forgotten the last hook shot or blocked shot. If you are a good person, to me, that"s the most important thing."
Pokemon Go servers appeared tocrashon Saturday, leaving millions unable to play the augmented reality game.
Users across Europe and the UScomplained they are unable to access the game, or that it is regularly freezing.
Players began to report problems with the game shortly after 2pm.
A hacking groupnamed PoodleCorp has claimed responsibility for taking down the Pokemon Go servers through a denial of service (DDOS) attack.
The problems follow the US launch of the game earlier this month, which caused servers to crash due to overwhelming demand.
The game was launched in the UK on Thursday.
The makers of the game issued a statement on Twitter on Saturday afternoon saying: "We have been working to fix the #PokemonGO server issues. Thank you for your patience."
Pokemon Vaporeon appears in the middle of Central Park
Frustrated players took to social media to complain about the problems.
By Saturday night many most players were able to access the game.
The incident is one of many international news items relating to Pokemon Go since the launch of the game earlier this month.
A man crashed his car into a tree in New York on Friday, lateradmittingto police he had been distracted by the game.
On Thursday two men in San Diego fell off a cliff after they climbed over a fence in an attempt to catch the animated characters.
Last week ateenager from Wyoming found a dead body in a river after she climbed over a fence to go in search of Pokmon near her home.
Britney Spears ~ Make Me (Ooh) Feat G-Eazy (Lyrics)
Welcome back to The Verges weekly musical roundup. Im Jamieson, Im still your host, and if this weeks picks are a little off its because every song I heard this week was distorted by the air conditioner whining right next to my desk. Summer finally rolled up and socked me on the chin after a few weeks of tolerable weather, and Im sure its affecting my listening habits in ways I cant quite understand. Please consider the selection of these jams an act of heroism, because it felt too hot to do just about anything.
There are a bunch of pop stars and near-pop stars gobbling up space in this weeks column. Britneys back with a trendy new single; Katys putting an end to her musical silence with an inspirational Olympic anthem for NBC; M.I.A. put out her catchiest single this decade with help from Skrillex and Blaqstarr. If you thought Taylor Swifts secret songwriting side hustle was going to be this weeks biggest news, it should give you a little bit of hope. And if you hate the sound of the Top 40, theres still plenty to enjoy I promise.
Remember to subscribe to our Spotify playlist if you havent already its updated weekly! Lets go:
Banks, "f**k with Myself"
Jillian Banks earned plenty of buzz for her 2014 debut LP Goddess, a moody collection of alt-R&B that felt equally inspired by The Weeknd and FKA Twigs. Her new single "f**k with Myself" revisits those influences, and it adds in a few more for good measure: Selena Gomez "Hands to Myself," Arcas skin-melting body horror. The result is a song thats both catchy and discomfiting, if a little derivative.
Beach Slang, "Punks in a Disco Bar"
It hasnt even been a year since Philly punks Beach Slang released their solid The Things We Do to Find People to Feel Like Us, and yet the band has somehow found time to lose and gain a drummer, tiptoe toward breaking up, and record a new LP thats coming out in September. "Punks in a Disco Bar" (great title) is the first single from A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings (EVEN BETTER TITLE), and its an absolute ripper thatll make you feel good about guitars and getting older.
Britney Spears ft. G-Eazy, "Make Me"
Britney Spears has her hands full with her children and her insanely popular Instagram account these days, but she still needs to release an album every once in a while to keep the well-oiled Spears machine Vegas shows, merchandise, a mobile game running smoothly. "Make Me" is the first single from her as-yet-undetailed new LP, and its the best thing shes released since her Femme Fatale days: low-key, largely unadorned pop-R&B. Its a far cry from her late-career EDM-cyborg heights, but thats alright with me.
Crystal Castles, "Char"
Crystal Castles are releasing their first post-Alice Glass album shes been replaced by Edith Frances on August 19th, and "Char" is the best of the singles the band has made available in recent weeks. (Amnesty (I) is also the first Crystal Castles album since 2012.) If youve spent any time listening to the bands old music, you know what youre getting here: lead vocals that are tough to discern, hollow drum machines, synth melodies that corrode and turn menacing in real time.
Flock of Dimes, "Semaphore"
When Jenn Wasner isnt cracking skulls as part of Wye Oak, she makes dreamy pop on her own as Flock of Dimes. Shes releasing her debut LP under that name in September, and "Semaphore" is the first single. Its rich, rumbling, and surprisingly funky, and Wasner sounds a little like Neko Case thats a huge compliment in this neck of the woods.
Itasca, "Buddy"
This new single from LA-based musician Kayla Cohen is gorgeous, intricately layered folk, complete with pedal steel and what sounds like the judicious use of a triangle. (Shes releasing a new album, Open to Chance, at the end of September.) Send this one to all the Joni Mitchell fans in your life.
Jamie Lidell, "Walk Right Back"
Ive always got time to spare for Jamie Lidells warped take on soul, and "Walk Right Back" finds the British veteran in vintage form: hes wailing about a love thats gone sour, trying to turn back time over a skittering beat. Lidells new album Building a Beginning isnt coming out until October 14th, so you have plenty of time to dive into his fascinating back catalog if "Walk Right Back" is your first taste of his work.
Justice, "Safe and Sound"
Can you believe its been almost a decade since "D.A.N.C.E.?" French dance godheads Justice have been working on new music for most of the 10s, and the release of "Safe and Sound" this week suggests theyre ready to make another play for club floors around the world. That means leaning heavily on the same tricks that made them stars in 2007: giddy group vocals, funky basslines, and the goopiest disco strings this side of the 70s. Its a perfect piece of Saturday night fromage.
Katy Perry, "Rise"
Is Katy Perry jumping into this years crowded pop picture with a new LP? I wouldnt read that much into "Rise," her first new song since 2013: its attached to NBCs coverage of the Summer Olympics, not some new album sitting just around the corner. Its a thundering electro-pop ballad set to footage of Olympic athletes training and competing, and the chorus is enormous. In short, its "Roar" on steroids. (Actually, scratch that the Olympics are troubled enough without a doping scandal involving their new theme song.)
M.I.A., "Go Off"
M.I.A.s last few albums have leaned toward abrasiveness and inaccessibility, so "Go Off" co-produced by Skrillex and Blaqstarr is a welcome reminder of what she can do within the confines of a relatively traditional, catchy pop song. (This might be the most immediate thing shes released since "Bad Girls.") She makes jokes about Neymar and a "German called Sven." Its a fun time! Heres hoping the rest of A.I.M. which might be her final traditional album finds her working in this vein.
Heres the running This Is Your Next Jam playlist have a great weekend!
Nate Thurmond, NBA Hall Of Famer And Golden State Warriors Great, Dies
OAKLAND >> Warriors legend Nate Thurmond, the Hall of Fame center who went toe-to-toe with the giants of NBA history, died Saturday. He was 74.
Thurmond played for the Warriors from 1963-74 and stands as the franchises all-time leading rebounder. Affable off the court, he worked for more than 30 years as a Golden State ambassador, a role he maintained even as his health faltered.
Thurmond privately battled leukemia over the past few months but also began calling friends to say goodbye.
All you need to know about him as a person is that he called me recently could barely speak and said he just wanted to tell me thank you for everything, said Raymond Ridder, the teams longtime vice president of communications.
Rick Barry, his longtime Warriors teammate, visited Thurmonds bedside last weekend in order to pay his respects.
It was a sad time, obviously. Its never an easy thing to say goodbye to a friend, Barry said in a phone interview Saturday. But he was at peace with himself.
Thurmond, a seven-time All-Star, was an intimidating 6-foot-11, 225-pound force in the era of Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jabbar, the NBAs all-time leading scorer, said Thurmond was the toughest center he ever faced.
When I score on Nate, I know Ive done something, Abdul-Jabbar once said. He sweats and he wants you to sweat, too.
REBOUNDING DEMON
Thurmond had 12,771 rebounds in his Warriors career, 2,003 more than the next player, Chamberlain. Thurmond is also the franchises all-time leader in minutes played.
Nate played during the era when there were actually were centers good centers, Barry said. But if you ask any of them who the toughest defender was that they had to play against, Nate Thurmonds name was going come up every time. He was one of the best defensive centers ever to play the game, no question.
Thurmond was selected to the NBA 50th Anniversary team in 1996, much to the delight of a player who spent much of his career overshadowed by bigger names.
Being flashy takes unnecessary effort, Thurmond once told Sport magazine. Once, I got cute and tore up a leg muscle that kept me off the court for four weeks. I suppose I could make a reputation for myself by dunking the ball and other stuff. But what would it get me?
Nicknamed Nate the Great, he averaged exactly 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds over his NBA career. That rebounding average still ranks fifth in NBA history, trailing only fellow Hall of Famers Chamberlain (22.9), Russell (22.5), Bob Pettit (16.2) and Jerry Lucas (15.6).
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Defense was always Thurmonds game, though, and he took great pride in demoralizing his opponent.
Still, Thurmond was a genial giant after the whistle. He lived in San Francisco in retirement and remained a frequent visitor at Oracle Arena. He was a fixture at home games with his wife, Marci midcourt, about 15 rows up and appeared at numerous community events each year.
LEGEND AND AMBASSADOR
His official job title was Warriors Legend & Ambassador. Among his duties last season was joining other Warriors greats to speak to the current players at the request of Coach Steve Kerr.
Thurmonds gentle side may have left him under-appreciated compared to his more menacing peers, something he acknowledged as he neared retirement.
You wait and see, Ill be forgotten quick. Five years from now, when the great centers are mentioned, Ill be forgotten, he told The New York Times in 1976. Maybe I was too nice, but thats all down the drain. I know what Ive done. Id just like to finish my career with people saying, He can play.
Thurmond made the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team five times. He once grabbed 42 rebounds in a game for the San Francisco Warriors, on Nov. 9, 1965, against the Detroit Pistons.
Thurmond also owns the distinction of recording the first official quadruple-double in NBA history, with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots as a member of the Chicago Bulls in 1974. He might have accomplished that feat earlier, but blocked shots were not an official statistic until 1973-74. Thats a pity for a player who would have racked them up by the truckload.
HONORED BY WEST
In the Warriors statement announcing Thurmonds death, Jerry West, a Hall of Famer and Warriors executive board member, called Thurmond someone whom I admired as much as any player I ever went to battle against on any level. ... He played with unbelievable intensity and was simply a man among boys on most nights, especially on the defensive end. On the other hand, off the court, Nate was about as caring and loving as they come, extremely kind and gentle.
Thurmond was born July 25, 1941, in Akron, Ohio. He starred at Central Hower High School, where his teammates included future NBA star Gus Johnson.
After a prolific career at Bowling Green State University, Thurmond went to the Warriors as the third overall pick in the 1963 NBA draft. He fell in love with the Bay Area almost immediately because, for one thing, it didnt snow.
After I was out here for about 4-5 months, I called my mother and said, Hey, Mom, that bedroom youre saving for me? Rent it out. I wont be back, Thurmond told the Bay Area News Group last year.
As a rookie, he served as an apprentice under Chamberlain, playing sparingly for a team that reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics.
Midway through the following season, the Warriors traded Chamberlain to Philadelphia and moved Thurmond from power forward to center.
TRADED TO BULLS
He stayed there for the next decade. Only Chris Mullin (807) played more games in a Warriors uniform than Thurmond (757).
After being traded by the Warriors to Chicago before Golden States 1974-75 championship season, he played a year and change with the Bulls before being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both the Warriors and Cavs have retired his No. 42 jersey.
He was just a terrific human being who I loved and respected more than words can describe, former Warriors coach Al Attles said in a statement. Fortunately, I was blessed to spend a great deal of time with as a teammate, coach and, most importantly, a friend for a good portion of our adult lives. For that, I am extremely thankful.
Thurmond was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Titusville Police Department released the names of the two women who were shot dead at Parrish Medical Center in Titusville early Sunday morning.
The patient who died is 88-year-old Cynthia Zingsheim, police say.
The hospital employee who died is 36-year-old Carrie Rouzer.
Both victims are Titusville residents.
The suspect, who has been booked into the Brevard County Jail on two counts of murder, is 29-year-old David Owens of Titusville.
"Investigators have not been able to determine a motive at this time, nor any connection to the victims," said Commander Todd Hutchinson in a news release. "They are continuing to investigate this tragic incident."
Officers received a report of shots fired inside Parrish Medical Center and responded to the hospital just after 2 a.m. Sunday morning, according to Hutchinson.
The suspect entered the hospital through the emergency room and went up to the third floor where he shot Zingsheim and Rouzer in Zingsheim"s room, according to a preliminary investigation, police say.
Police Chief John Lau described the investigation as "fluid" during a press conference Sunday afternoon.
"It"s going to be a very long process for them to figure this out," he said.
Security guards tackled Owens and "held him down for arriving officers," Hutchinson said in a news release.
"Parrish Medical Center did have a plan," Lau said. "And there"s no doubt that their action saved lives."
During the press conference, Lau emphasized the importance of training for emergency situations.
"It could happen anywhere and there"s no city large enough or small enough What we"re urging is for citizens that see something to say something," he said.
Brevard County Sheriff"s Office deputies also arrived to help the Titusville Police Department.
"We are indebted to the Brevard County Sheriff"s Department," said Lau.
The suspect left the handgun he used in Zingsheim"s room, Hutchinson said.
The hospital, at 951 N. Washington Ave., is just west of Indian River.
Officials from the hospital are expected to provide details today about how the incident will impact the facility"s operations, Hutchinson said.
"They"re heavy-hearted right now," Lau said. "They lost a member of their team."
Lau said the hospital is operating "business as usual."
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Star Trek Beyond | Trailer #3 | Paramount Pictures International
Aside from everything else, Star Trek Beyond immediately provokes a massive sigh of relief. Following the cynical, ludicrous fan service and paranoid truther politics of the abysmal Star Trek Into Darkness, the franchise has gone through an overhaul and come out the better for it. With J.J. Abrams staying as producer but installing Justin Lin (Fast and Furious) as the new director, and cast member Simon Pegg and co-writer Doug Jung taking over screenwriting duties from the odious Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, Trek has pivoted back to a simpler, more traditional approach. Star Trek Beyond evokes the spirit of the original series better than the previous two films in the so-called Kelvin timeline, getting past the flaws it does have with humor, great character moments and some nicely placed nostalgia that doesnt hit you over the head.
As the film opens, the Enterprise is 966 (Trekkers will grasp the meaning of that number) days into this crews five-year mission of exploration -- yes, the d**n ship finally got away from Earth for this entry -- and we catch up with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) just as hes getting out of a scrape involving relations with a new alien race. From that amusing opening we get a somewhat more sober look at the state of the Enterprise crew, including its captain, after nearly three years in space: like life anywhere, its a mix of the marvelous and the mundane, the lonely and the loving, with a sly remark from Kirk about the episodic nature of their everyday existence. The original series touched on this in small ways -- what it would be like to live with hundreds of others in space for years at a time -- but never as succinctly and ambivalently as this.
After docking at the Yorktown, a combination space station/interplanetary hub that arches and twists around itself on a giant gravity wheel like something out of Escher -- and where both Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) are making some decisions about their respective futures -- a ship appears out of a nearby nebula calling for a rescue mission. The Enterprise launches into action, probing the nebula and coming upon a hidden planet, where the crew and ship fall into a trap sprung by the baleful, malevolent Krall (Idris Elba), an almost classic Trek villain who gradually reveals layers of both his scheme and himself as our heroes struggle to survive and fight back.
A distress signal, a mysterious nebula, ancient alien technology and a long-missing pre-Federation starship -- these are the elements that come into play in this story and if they sound like theyre right out of an original series episode, thats probably no coincidence. Pegg and Jung have crafted what is essentially a feature-length segment of Star Trek: its spruced up with top-notch visual effects, given a modern spin with some hyper-adrenalized action sequences, but still centered on the crew that we love and their struggle with the strange circumstances they find themselves in. If I had to rate Star Trek Beyond in terms of the level of quality of each year of the original series, I would put it just a notch or two below the finer episodes of the first two seasons -- only because its missing the moral dilemma that those stories often presented.
Pegg and Jung -- and Lin, who proves here that he can handle small character moments as well as he handles tons of crashing vehicles -- have a genuine fondness for these iconic characters that seemed absent from Star Trek Into Darkness. They also understand what make them tick in a way that makes sense when they are separated and broken down into smaller groups. The best moments come from Spock and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), who spend most of the movie together and cut off from everyone else. The two officers have always represented two sides of Kirks personality -- logic and cool rationalism vs. big emotion and empathy -- and their differences are starkly defined here, albeit with some welcome humor (Urban is once again eerily good at invoking the spirit of the late, great DeForest Kelley).
But everyone gets their turn. Scotty (Pegg) provides some different comic relief as the engineer finds himself thrown together with an alien named Jaylah (well-played by Sofia Boutella from Kingsman: The Secret Service) who reveals herself to be an impressive ally. Meanwhile, Kirk and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) are also paired, and theres a gentle sense of Chekovs admiration for his commander, who must live up to the responsibility of being a leader to the young ensign. This ties into an earlier scene -- a discussion over drinks between Kirk and McCoy thats a nicer hat-tip to The Wrath of Khan than the whole last movie -- where Kirk wonders whether he can ever live up to his fathers legacy as a Starfleet officer. That arc does not get as fully developed as it could have, but the resonance remains. Sadly, its bittersweet to watch Yelchin and be reminded of the gifted actor we lost just last month (the film is dedicated to him and Leonard Nimoy, whose own 2015 passing is woven into the film in two brief yet poignant scenes).
As for our villain, the less said the better, but Elba brings out a mix of rage and melancholy -- even under a ton of prosthetics -- that makes Krall easily the most effective of the antagonists in the Kelvin timeline films, and a d**n sight better than some bad guys in earlier Trek pictures too. While a few of his machinations are muddied by the fast pace of the movie -- we suspect a scene or two clarifying a couple of points were left in the editing bay -- hes got a purpose and back story that are well fleshed-out and even reminded this fan in a very subtle way of a thematic element from one of the best films of the franchise (I wont say which).
With the character work on solid footing, its odd to say that Lin actually misses the mark with some of the big action set pieces as the film unspools. The first attack by Kralls forces -- a swarm of literally hundreds of tiny drone ships -- against the Enterprise is brilliantly handled and drives home the agonizing destruction thats wrought upon the beloved ship. But Lins tendency to juggle the camera works against later scenes, including one set inside the darkened hull of the Enterprise thats almost impossible to follow. He does redeem himself in the climax though, staging a hand-to-hand battle in a gravity-free environment that is dizzying and thrilling.
There are other things missing from Star Trek Beyond: that sense of wonder and sometimes awe the old show inspired, along with the moral or ethical dimension to the conflict that we mentioned earlier. Kirks brooding over his father seems like something he should have moved beyond (ha ha) by now. Although Ive despised the half-hearted Spock/Uhura romance from the start, Quinto and Zoe Saldana play it more subtly here, unlike the bickering teens they were reduced to in the last film. And no, the modern, frenetic action scenes still dont sit quite right in the world of Trek.
The truth is, I may never see what I consider to be the perfect modern Star Trek film. Im not even sure Id recognize it, although I know the things Id like to see in it. But I am sure that every longtime Trekker can picture his or her own perfect Trek movie as well, and Im equally sure theyre all different. That wide range of possibilities is what has kept Star Trek alive and interesting for nearly five decades, and its the acknowledgement of that -- plus the original shows undying optimism -- that makes Star Trek Beyond such a nice surprise and affectionate tribute as the 50th anniversary of the original series premiere looms on September 8th. Star Trek Beyond may not be the perfect Star Trek film, but it is unashamedly, entertainingly and enthusiastically a true one -- and thats more than enough for this Starfleet lifer.
Star Trek Beyond is out in theaters this Friday (July 22).
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