Thurl Bailey facts for kids
Bailey, circa 1988
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 7, 1961 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| High school | Bladensburg (Bladensburg, Maryland) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 247 lb (112 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | NC State (1979–1983) |
| NBA Draft | 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Pro career | 1983–1999 |
| Career history | |
| 1983–1991 | Utah Jazz |
| 1991–1994 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 1994–1995 | Panionios |
| 1995–1997 | Polti Cantù |
| 1997–1998 | Olimpia Stefanel Milano |
| 1999 | Utah Jazz |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 11,834 (12.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,718 (5.1 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,086 (1.2 bpg) |
Thurl Lee Bailey (born April 7, 1961) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1983 to 1999. He was known as "Big T" during his playing days.
After his basketball career, Thurl Bailey became a broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah. He is also known as an inspirational speaker, a singer, a songwriter, and an actor in movies.
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Basketball Career
Thurl Bailey went to North Carolina State University. He was a key player for the Wolfpack team that won the 1983 NCAA Championship. That year, he led his team in both scoring points and getting rebounds.
The Utah Jazz picked him as the 7th player in the 1983 NBA draft. They chose him not just for his skills, but also for his good character. This was the start of his 16-year professional basketball career, with 12 of those years spent in the NBA.
Bailey was a starting player for the Jazz for his first two seasons. But after Karl Malone joined the team, coach Frank Layden decided to use Bailey as one of the first players to come off the bench. This role is called a "Sixth Man."
Because of this, Bailey had two of his best NBA seasons in 1987–88 and 1988–89. He scored almost 20 points per game in both seasons. He finished second in the voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award twice. During his time with the Utah Jazz, he played in 665 games. He missed only four games he could have played in.
On November 25, 1991, the Jazz traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thurl Bailey played an unusual 84 regular-season games in the 1991–92 season because he played for both teams that year. He played for the Timberwolves for almost three seasons.
In 1994, he left the NBA and played basketball in Greece for one season. From 1995 to 1998, he played in Italy. He then returned to the Utah Jazz in 1999 as a free agent. He retired from basketball after the 1998–99 season.
Life After Basketball
After retiring from playing, Thurl Bailey became a public speaker. He also works as a broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah. He is also an actor and a singer/songwriter.
Thurl Bailey has released several music albums. These include Faith In Your Heart (1998), The Gift of Christmas (2001), and I'm Not the Same (2002).
He is also involved in different businesses. He is the chairman of Big T Productions and FourLeaf Films. He also leads Fertile Earth, a company that has a special fertilizer.
Thurl Bailey works with many charities. These include Make-A-Wish, D.A.R.E., and the Happy Factory. These groups help people in need.
He also coaches basketball in the Salt Lake City area. He uses a private coaching service called CoachUp.
Personal Life and Interests
Thurl Bailey was born in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
He is a father of six children. He has a daughter named Chonell and two sons, Thurl Jr. and TeVaun. Thurl and his wife, Sindi, live in Highland, Utah. They have three children together: BreElle, Brendan, and Bryson. His son Brendan also played basketball in college.
Politics and Beliefs
Thurl Bailey was raised as a Baptist. While he was playing basketball in Italy, he decided to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized on December 31, 1995.
In 2008, Thurl Bailey gave the opening prayer at the 2008 Republican National Convention. This is a big meeting for the Republican political party in the United States.
Film and Music
Thurl Bailey has appeared in several movies and documentaries.
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Thurl: Forward with New Power | Himself | Documentary about him |
| 2001 | The Luck of the Irish | Mr. Holloway | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2002 | The Singles Ward | A Traveler | Movie |
| 2005 | David and Goliath | Goliath of Gath | Movie |
| 2006 | Church Ball | Moses Mahoney | Movie |
| 2007 | Heber Holiday | Mutumbo | Movie |
| 2013 | Running with the Pack | Himself | Documentary |
| 30 for 30 | Himself | Survive and Advance |
See also
In Spanish: Thurl Bailey para niños
