Bruce Thornton (basketball)
| No. 2 – Houston Rockets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 14, 2003 Fairburn, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Milton (Milton, Georgia) |
| College | Ohio State (2022–2026) |
| NBA draft | 2026: 2nd round, 31st overall pick |
| Drafted by | New York Knicks |
| Playing career | 2026–present |
| Career history | |
| 2026–present | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Bruce Rashad Thornton Jr. (born September 14, 2003) is an American basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he finished his career as the program's all-time leading scorer.
Early life
Thornton was raised in Alpharetta, Georgia and attended Milton High School, where he was a four–year starter on the basketball team.[1] The team won the state championship in 2021,[1][2] and Thornton was Mr. Georgia Basketball[3] and the Gatorade Georgia Boys' Basketball Player of the Year in 2022.[1]
Recruiting
Thornton was considered a consensus four-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals. On November 26, 2020, Thornton committed to play college basketball for Ohio State over offers from teams such as Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn.[4][5]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Thornton PG |
Alpharetta, GA | Milton (GA) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 26, 2020 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports:  ESPN: (86) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
As a freshman, Thornton started all 35 games for Ohio State during the 2022–23 season while averaging 10.6 points and 2.6 assists per game.[6][7] He scored his most points of the season against Michigan with 22.[8] On March 7, 2026, Thornton scored a three pointer during a game against Indiana to become Ohio State’s all time leading scorer.[9]
Professional career
On June 24, 2026, Thornton was selected by the New York Knicks with the 31st overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft then was immediately traded to the Houston Rockets for pick 39 (Jack Kayil).[10]
College statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Ohio State | 35 | 35 | 30.5 | .456 | .375 | .729 | 2.7 | 2.6 | .8 | .1 | 10.6 |
| 2023–24 | Ohio State | 35 | 35 | 33.6 | .427 | .333 | .850 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 1.2 | .0 | 15.7 |
| 2024–25 | Ohio State | 32 | 32 | 36.2 | .501 | .424 | .853 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 1.1 | .1 | 17.7 |
| 2025–26 | Ohio State | 34 | 34 | 36.5 | .554 | .400 | .829 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 1.1 | .2 | 19.9 |
| Career | 136 | 136 | 34.1 | .486 | .381 | .829 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 1.1 | .1 | 15.9 | |
References
- 1 2 3 Holcomb, Todd. "Milton's Thornton named Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of Year". AJC.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ↑ Guaramato, Carisbel. "Allen Whitehart and the Milton High School Eagles team make it to the state basketball championship". BVMSports.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ↑ Atlanta Tipoff Club [@ATLTipoffClub] (March 26, 2022). "Add Mr. Georgia Basketball to his resume ✅ Congratulations to @OhioStateHoops signee, @Bruce2T_ for having an outstanding season and taking home the ATOC Mr. Georgia Basketball award 🏀" (Tweet). Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Hass-Hill, Colin. "Four-Star Point Guard Bruce Thornton Commits To Ohio State". ElevenWarriors.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ↑ SUVtv [@SUVtv] (November 26, 2020). "🚨ICYMI, Bruce Thornton has committed to Ohio State University" (Tweet). Retrieved November 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Bruce Thornton Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ↑ "Bruce Thornton Bio". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ↑ Jardy, Adam. "Bruce Thornton: Ohio State played more freely despite loss at Michigan". Dispatch.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ↑ "Thornton Breaks Scoring Record as Buckeyes Roll Indiana 91-78". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Ohio State Buckeyes. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Knicks open second round of 2026 Draft with swap of No. 31 overall". nba.com. June 25, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.