SAN FRANCISCO -- Nate Thurmond, the tenacious defensive center who played with Wilt Chamberlain and was an iconic figure in two cities, died Saturday after a short battle with leukemia. He was 74.The Golden State Warriors announced the death of one of the teams most respected players less than a month after they lost the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Both franchises previously retired the Akron, Ohio, natives No. 42.Thurmond played 11 of his 14 seasons with the Warriors and retired after the 1976-1977 season, one year after leading the Miracle Cavaliers to an improbable trip to the Eastern Conference finals.Without a doubt, he is one of the most beloved figures to ever wear a Warriors uniform, Golden State owner Joe Lacob said.Current Cavalier and Akron native LeBron James said on Twitter: Knowing u played in the same rec league as me growing up gave me hope of making it out! Thanks!The 6-foot-11 Thurmond was voted as one of the best 50 players in NBA history and is considered among the most dominating centers in the game. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.Nate Thurmond was a giant of his era and one of the greatest players in the history of our game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.Thurmonds play and numbers werent flashy, but he earned the respect of his peers and knowledgeable basketball fans for his consistency, defense and strength.Looking back, he was as ferocious as any player in the history of the game on the court, but one of the kindest and nicest souls in his everyday life, former teammate and coach Al Attles said.Thurmond recorded the first official quadruple-double in NBA history as a Chicago Bull when he had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots against the Atlanta Hawks in 1974. He is one of only four players to grab more than 40 rebounds in a game.Thurmond starred at Bowling Green, averaging 17.8 points and 17.0 rebounds in three seasons. He was selected third overall by the Warriors in the 1963 draft.Thurmond apprenticed under Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain until the Warriors traded Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers in the middle of the 1964-65 season. Thurmond went on to average 15 points and 15 rebounds during his career and still holds the Warriors franchise records for career rebounds and minutes.We have lost an incredible person and someone whom I admired as much as any player I ever went to battle against on any level, Hall of Famer Jerry West said. Nate Thurmond was, without a doubt, one of the fiercest competitors that I played against during my entire career. He played with unbelievable intensity and was simply a man among boys on most nights, especially on the defensive end.The Warriors traded Thurmond to the Bulls prior to the 1974-75 season. The Bulls dealt him after 13 games the next season to his hometown Cavaliers, where he closed out his career in style.He played a key role in the Cavaliers most memorable season before James. They beat the Washington Bullets in seven games to get to the 1976 Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in six games, but Thurmonds leadership that season made him a local legend.Cleveland teammate Campy Russell said Saturday that the Cavaliers franchise will always love and respect him as a true Cavalier legend.Though he played less than two seasons for the Cavaliers at the end of his career, his jersey number was the first retired by the team.After the seven-time All-Star selection retired, he worked for the Warriors as a community liaison and broadcast analyst until his illness sidelined him earlier this year.Nate brought the same passion to his longtime community-relations role with the Golden State Warriors, who benefited from his deep knowledge of the game and warmth and kindness to everyone he encountered for more than 30 years, Silver said in his statement.Thurmond also opened a popular barbecue restaurant in San Francisco called Big Nates BBQ, which he sold in 2011. 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MUNICH, Germany -- Ernie Els took the lead in the first round of the BMW International Open on Thursday after an eagle and seven birdies steered him to a 9-under 63. The South African, who won the British Open in 2002 and 2012 and the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997, almost had a second eagle at the last that would have equaled a course record. Still, he was content with a two-putt birdie that gave him a one-stroke lead. "It doesnt really mean much until Sunday. But getting into the race, so to speak, early on in the tournament is nice, to be right in the hunt," Els said. Matthew Baldwin of England, Swedens Alex Noren, Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen and Germanys Martin Kaymer, who delighted the home crowd in the afternoon by finishing with three successive birdies, and nine in all, have a share of second place after carding 64s. "I had a lot of chances on the back nine and I pretty much made all of them," said Kaymer, who won this tournament in 2008. Baldwin and Noren both had eight birdies in the morning, while Derksen had six, as well as an eagle in the afternoon. English pair Matthew Nixon and Tom Lewis, along with Alexander Levy of France, are tied for sixth, one stroke further back. "Hats off, it was just everything went right, holed a lot of putts and thats that, really," Nixon said. "I had two eagles and my dad is always telling me Imm rubbish at par-5s so hopefully hell feel better about that.dddddddddddd." Els finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Open last week and had a share of sixth place at the Wentworth Club in his previous two tournaments. "Ive really been working hard at my game," the 43-year-old said. "I could feel that things were coming around a bit. Ive had a bit of an iffy year up to now, but I really feel that my swing feels good and my body feels good, so I can swing the club properly." Els started at the 10th, and fired five birdies in the outward 31. He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the short second, before doing brilliantly on the par-five sixth. Despite finding himself in the rough facing a flag guarded by water, he drove the ball almost 250 yards to within five feet of the hole, before putting for the eagle. "Its just a pleasure to play, not to go through a torture chamber like I did at the U.S. Open. So, a nice start," Els said. American Dustin Johnson was among a group of 10 to finish with 6-under 66s, including South Africas Brandon Stone on his professional debut. "I drove it well, hit it well. I holed a couple putts but I missed quite a few short ones," said Johnson, who managed six birdies. "Im happy with where Im at right now and Im looking forward to coming back in the morning and playing better." ' ' '