Brooks Thompson

Brooks James Thompson (July 19, 1970 – June 9, 2016) was an American basketball coach and retired player who played for the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) guard who played his college ball at Texas A&M University and Oklahoma State University, he was selected by the Orlando Magic in the first round (27th overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft.[1]

Thompson attended Littleton High School in Littleton, Colorado, where he was named the Colorado player of the year in 1989 and led Littleton to 24–0 record and the state 4A title.

In his NBA career, Thompson played in 168 games and scored a total 760 points. On November 26, 1996, as a member of the Nuggets, he scored a career high 26 points against the Suns. He also played a few games in the Greek league for Iraklis Thessaloniki.

On April 19, 2006, Thompson was named head coach of the men's basketball team of the University of Texas at San Antonio. On November 15, 2009, UTSA defeated the University of Iowa, UTSA's first ever win versus a Big Ten Conference school. On March 16, 2011, Thompson guided UTSA to the school's first ever NCAA Tournament win when the Roadrunners defeated Alabama State 70–61. On March 10, 2016, he was fired by UTSA following a 5–27 record.

In April 2016, Thompson was diagnosed with double organ failure. His condition initially improved from critical to stable, but he had to be rushed to a hospital with sepsis just days later, and died on June 9, 2016.