Nate Thurmond, one of the NBA's greatest centers to ever play, passed away this morning. He had been battling leukemia for quite some time but has now seen an end to that hard battle.

He was drafted 3rd overall in the 1963 by the San Francisco Warriors and played his career on three different teams. With seven NBA All-Star nominations, he is widely recognized as one of the NBA's greatest players.

“Nate was one of the greatest centers to ever play the game and I was privileged to call him a teammate and dear friend,” said 1975 NBA Finals MVP Rick Barry. “He battled his illness until the very end, like a true Warrior. His legacy is one of passion, fierce competitiveness, a love of basketball and selfless devotion to others. My heartfelt prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.”

This loss has caused tons of people close to him to experience somber times. Even rivals on the basketball court will mourn everything he stood for.

“This is an extremely difficult day for me. We have lost an incredible person and someone whom I admired as much as any player I ever went to battle against on any level,” NBA logo boy Jerry West added. “Nate Thurmond was, without a doubt, one of the fiercest competitors that I played against during my entire career.”

Although he has been long removed from the game, his effect on it certainly shines. The world will miss Nate Thurmond and everything he brought to basketball.

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