Report: Basketball Legend John Thompson Has Passed Away

Basketball legend John Thompson has passed away at the age of 78 years old, according to multiple reports.

A statement released on behalf of the Thompson Family pic.twitter.com/UKfVd4LPRP

— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) August 31, 2020

Thompson, who is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas for 27 seasons, from 1972-1999. He won an astounding 596 games in his coaching career.

In 1984, he became the first African-American head coach to win an NCAA Championship. Thompson led his teams to 20 NCAA tournament appearances, including eight Sweet-Sixteen runs, and three Final Four appearances. Additionally, he won the award for Big East Coach of the Year on three separate occasions.

Thompson is both a basketball legend and coaching icon, and he has a long list of accomplishments and accolades to support that.

His accomplishments also run deep off the basketball court. He changed the lives of countless people in his lifetime, and anyone who was able to play under him or interact with him speaks glowingly of the man, not just the coach.

This clip from Allen Iverson‘s Hall of Fame induction speech shows how much his college coach meant to him.

In his Hall of Fame speech, Allen Iverson thanked Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. for saving his life. pic.twitter.com/DE1xospWIZ

— ESPN (@espn) August 31, 2020