[2] A 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) small forward from the College of Southern Idaho and Bradley University, Thirdkill played in five NBA seasons from 1982 to 1987.

[3] Born in St. Louis, Missouri and nicknamed "The Sheriff",[2][4] he played for the Suns, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics.

[10] He returned for another conference in 1988, this time for the newly formed Purefoods team, which he led to another finals appearance.

[10] Thereafter, he played in Italy for Virtus Roma, in France for Chorale Roanne Basket and Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball.

He then played most notably in Israel for a spell of five years, mainly for Hapoel Tel Aviv, finally retiring in 1996.