Gamecocks great Sindarius Thornwell finds new NBA home

Michael Lananna
·1 min read

Former South Carolina basketball star Sindarius Thornwell signed a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic, the team announced Tuesday.

Thornwell last played for the New Orleans Pelicans this season, averaging 1.2 points per game in 14 games played. He played just 5.2 minutes per game. New Orleans waived Thornwell on Feb. 22, before signing him to two 10-day contracts.

Originally drafted by Milwaukee with the 48th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Thornwell rose to national prominence during the Gamecocks’ historic 2017 Final Four run. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 21.4 points per game his senior year at USC and played 132 career games for Frank Martin’s Gamecocks.

Terms of Thornwell’s contract were not disclosed, per team policy. But the two-way deal will allow Thornwell to play both for the NBA club and in the G League.

Late Monday night, Thornwell posted a story to Instagram of him holding a basketball in an elevator, saying, “The work must be done no matter what.”