Bill Thieben

William Bernard Thieben (March 28, 1935 – April 15, 2021) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Fort Wayne Pistons in and the Detroit Pistons in (the franchise was moved between the two seasons). He was selected in the 1956 NBA draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. He played college basketball for the Hofstra Pride.

Early life and college Thieben was a native of Suffolk County, New York, and attended Sayville High School from 1948 to 1952. On February 26, 1952, he scored a school record 48 points in a game against Northport (record since tied). Sayville won the contest, 85–66. Due to NCAA rules at the time, freshmen were not allowed to play varsity sports. Thieben, therefore, had to play for the school's freshman team. In Thieben's junior season (1954–55), he went on to average a career high 29.2 points and 24.4 rebounds in 26 games played. Thieben's career spanned two seasons, and between the two he had his most success during his rookie campaign in 1956–57. Playing for the Fort Wayne Pistons, he appeared in 58 games while averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Later life and death After his basketball career ended, Thieben went into teaching. He became the history teacher at Bay Shore High School in Bay Shore, New York for three years, and then in 1961 became the school's assistant principal for the next decade.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Fort Wayne 58 10.9 .352 .655 3.6 .3 4.1 Detroit 27 9.0 .294 .593 2.4 .3 3.7Career 85 10.3 .331 .640 3.2 .3 4.0

Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Fort Wayne 2 14.0 .857 .333 3.0 1.5 7.0