This Mercer County native was a basketball star at Princeton High and later at West Virginia University, where he wore number 44 like Jerry West. A top student and athlete, he was nearly headed as a recruit to Duke until the state legislature designated him a “state natural resource.”

At WVU, Thorn became an All-American. He was also a talented baseball player, but an injury ended that dream. In 1963, he was the second pick in the NBA draft and played for the Baltimore Bullets, Detroit Pistons, St. Louis Hawks, and Seattle Supersonics.

After playing, Thorn had a long NBA career as a coach and executive. As general manager of the Chicago Bulls, he drafted Michael Jordan. He also led the Nets and 76ers and became an NBA league executive.

Thorn was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. WVU retired his jersey number 44 in 2020.