Justus Thigpen, Sr. is the first in a long line of Flint basketball players to make it to the highest level of the game, the NBA. He paved the way for players like Glen Rice, Jeff Grayer, Morris Peterson, Mateen Cleaves and, more recently, players like Monte Morris and Kyle Kuzma.

Born in 1947, he moved to Flint as a child and grew up in the Flint Community Schools, graduating from Flint Northern High School.

Thigpen’s rise continued at nearby Flint Junior College (now Mott Community College), where he became a dominant scorer and helped fashion Flint’s reputation as a hotbed for hoops. His success propelled him to Weber State University in Utah, where he became a star at the highest level of college basketball — Division 1.

Thereafter he was drafted by the San Diego Rockets and actually played for the Detroit Pistons in the 1972-73 season. During his career he played in the NBA, the ABA and in professional leagues in Europe.

Thigpen was inducted into the Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

And while the game took Thigpen all over the world, we are fortunate his story didn’t end when his basketball career was finished. Thigpen ultimately returned to Flint, working for the city’s Parks and Recreation department.

His son, Justus Jr., played collegiately at Iowa State. His late daughter, Reba, was a standout player at Lansing Community College.

We honor Justus Thigpen for his trailblazing career both on and off the court, and what his legacy has meant to everyone who came after him.