LaSalle Thompson
A relentless rebounder and defensive anchor, he carved out a 15-year NBA career through sheer physical grit and consistency.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American basketball player·Birthday: June 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
LaSalle Thompson arrived in the NBA from the University of Texas as a first-round pick, bringing a college reputation built on toughness and board work. For over a decade, primarily with the Kansas City and Sacramento Kings, he established himself as a classic, old-school center: a broad-shouldered enforcer who lived in the paint. He wasn't a flashy scorer, but his value was measured in bruises inflicted, shots altered, and possessions extended through offensive rebounds. Thompson's game was one of physical endurance and fundamental reliability, qualities that kept him in the league long after more heralded peers had retired. Following his playing days, he transitioned into coaching, imparting his hard-nosed defensive philosophies to a new generation of big men with the Charlotte Bobcats and New York Knicks.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
LaSalle was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When LaSalle Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
LaSalle's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 15 seasons in the NBA, appearing in over 1,000 regular-season games.
- Led the NBA in offensive rebounds during the 1984-85 season with 374.
- Averaged a double-double for three consecutive seasons early in his career with the Kings.
- Was a key veteran presence on the Indiana Pacers team that reached the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
- Served as an assistant coach in the NBA for several years under head coaches Larry Brown and Mike Woodson.
Did You Know?
He was selected 5th overall in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Kansas City Kings.
In college, he led the Texas Longhorns to the 1981 NIT championship.
He is the father of former NBA player Lance Thomas (no relation to the former Knick of the same name).
His son, Lance, played college basketball at Duke University.
He still ranks among the Sacramento Kings' franchise all-time leaders in total rebounds and blocks.
“My job was simple: get the ball, protect the paint, and don't back down from anyone.”
