Thurl Bailey

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Thurl Bailey was born in Washington D.C. and lived there through high school. Thurl was an excellent student and active in many school activities.

He attended North Carolina State University on a basketball scholarship and helped lead the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA Championship against Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and the University of Houston. That same year, he led NC State in scoring and rebounding.

Thurl was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 1983 as the 7th pick of the draft. This was the beginning of sixteen years of playing professional basketball, twelve of those years played in the NBA.

At 6'11", you may first notice the athlete but Thurl is a man of as much depth as height. His strong sense of service to the community has led to countless hours of service to his fellow man and to numerous civic awards for leadership and contribution to community. One of Thurl's favorite activities has been the basketball camps Thurl has led for over 15 years. His camps teach life skills as well as basketball and offer scholarships to youth with special circumstances such as critical illness or disadvantaged backgrounds.

In addition to his talent on the court, he is a gifted singer and songwriter. His first album, "Faith In Your Heart", is a best seller. Among his many awards are included the 2000 Pearl Awards of Best Contemporary Recording and Best New Artist of the Year.

Since he retired from professional basketball, Thurl has continued to lead a busy life as a professional speaker, singer/songwriter, community advocate and as a color commentator for the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah.

Thurl is a devoted family man and the father of five children. He and his wife, Sindi, live in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the two youngest children.

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