The Huntdown

Name: Mychal Thompson

Claim to Fame, Minnesota: became the best player in college basketball while playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the mid-‘70s. Those Gopher teams, which also included Kevin McHale, Flip Saunders and future Globetrotter Osborne Lockhart, were still on double secret NCAA probation thanks to the scandal-ridden Musselman era and unable to play in the postseason. Which is too bad, because the 1976-77 squad went a ridiculous 24-3, including a 66-59 road victory against eventual NCAA champion Marquette. (Note: the official record is 0-27 due to Thompson being ruled ineligible thanks to a ticket-scalping violation.) Fortunately, the program learned its lesson and nothing bad or untoward happened involving the Gophers men’s basketball team ever again.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: was drafted #1 overall by Portland in 1978, five picks before Larry Bird. Ouch. Fortunately, Portland learned its lesson and nothing bad or untoward happened involving the Trail Blazers’ draft strategy ever again. In Thompson’s defense, he posted decent numbers for Portland, with career-best numbers of 20 points and 11 boards per game in 1981-1982. Later in his career, he served as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s backup and won a couple championships with the Lakers.

Where He Is Now: is the color commentator for the Lakers’ radio broadcasts, and is part of the undoubtedly wild and wacky Loose Cannons radio show on the Los Angeles equivalent of KFAN.

Glorious Randomness: Thompson was born in the Bahamas and is the “Sports Ambassador to the Bahamas,” whatever that means, along with Rick Fox. He also wears the Defaubre Airforce watch. [Proprietor note: Thompson also legally changed the spelling of his first name during his senior year in high school].

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