Rockets Sign Rookie Bruce Thornton

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Posted: July 7, 2026 -- 6:30 p.m. CT

The Houston Rockets today announced they have signed rookie guard Bruce Thornton. Thornton will play for the Rockets at the 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 9-19.

Thornton was the 31st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft following his senior season at Ohio State. He started 136 of a possible 137 games for his career, while averaging 15.9 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals.

Thornton signed a 4 year, $9,264,648 contract with the Houston Rockets, including $1,357,763 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,316,162. In 2026-27, Thornton will earn a base salary of $1,357,763, while carrying a cap hit of $1,357,763 and a dead cap value of $1,357,763. (via Spotrac)

The Georgia native became the Buckeyes first four-time captain and is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,164 points. Thornton is the first Division I player with career totals of at least 2,000 points and 500 assists while recording fewer than 200 turnovers since the NCAA began officially tracking turnovers in 1992-93.

Thornton increased his scoring average across each of his four seasons and recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.02 for his career. Over his final two seasons, he averaged 1.8 3-pointers made on 41.2% shooting.

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