Former William & Mary star and Boston Celtics draft pick Marcus Thornton has signed with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League, the Kings announced this week.
Thornton, the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and W&M’s all-time leading scorer, was the 45th overall selection in last month’s NBA draft, the first W&M player picked in 30 years.
The Celtics will retain his NBA rights.
Thornton averaged 5.1 points per game while shooting 27.1 percent from the field with the Celtics’ summer league team. A highlight was a 21-point performance in a victory against the Miami Heat.
“These are tough decisions,” said W&M coach Tony Shaver, who said he’s talked to Thornton throughout this process. “It looks like a great opportunity for him. It’s a chance to make good money. From the way I understand it, since it’s a different season, he’ll still have a chance to play with the D-League team. A lot goes into it.”
Thornton was not immediately available for comment.
Celtics president Danny Ainge said in a press conference shortly after the draft that it was likely Thornton would play next season either overseas or in the D-League. The Celtics had five guards on their roster before the draft, then selected two more — Louisville’s Terry Rozier (16th overall) and Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter (28th) — ahead of Thornton.
“On nights when he had good minutes, you could see him relaxing more,” Shaver said. “I’ve talked to the Celtics’ coaches, and they’re very, very high on Marcus. I think they see a lot, and that at some point in the near future, he’ll be in the NBA.
“It’s an awesome organization to be drafted by. He just got caught in a numbers game. … He’s not disappearing. It’s a long road to the NBA. He just has to keep playing hard, keep battling.”
The NBL is an eight-team league across Australia and New Zealand. The season runs from October to early March, with teams playing 28 games in the regular season.
The Kings went 9-19 last year. Former NBA player Josh Childress is on their roster.
“It’s a great acquisition for this club,” Kings coach Damian Cotter said in a release. “Marcus’ versatility, athleticism and skill set are going to cause matchup problems for opponents, and he’ll be coming in to a situation where he will have the opportunity to lead a very talented team.
There has been a great deal of research done on Marcus, and after watching him in the summer league and during his time in college, he is a perfect fit — both in character and as a player.”
The release said Thornton is expected to join the team for preseason training in late August.
