A former South Carolina basketball star has signed with the NBA team.
Former South Carolina basketball player Sindarius Thornwell signed a minimum contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, an organization he played for last year in the NBA Bubble. The news comes through ESPN’s Andrew Lopez, who reported the acquisition in Twitter.
Thornwell played a total of 35 minutes for the Pelicans last season, seeing action in the team’s final two games.
For his NBA career, the former Gamecock spent time with the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as his current organization in New Orleans. Thornwell participated in 139 career games, making 18 games and averaging 2.6 points per competition. This will be his fourth season, after being drawn up in the 2017 draft by Milwaukee Bucks.
Like Gamecock, Thornwell won the SEC Player of the Year honors under Frank Martin, leading his team to a regular season of 22 wins and an appearance in the Final Four. In that 2017 NCAA Tournament, the striker averaged 23.6 points per game, leading to recognition from all NCAA regions.
He led the SEC in scoring, stealing, free throws and player efficiency as a senior, and was twice named the league’s fully defensive team.
After four seasons with the Gamecocks, Thornwell left Columbia as the program’s third top scorer and all-time leader in minutes played. He is among the school’s top ten players in points, field goals, steals and assists.