Bill Thieben

In 2008, Hofstra University officially retired his jersey (#93).

After his basketball career ended, Thieben went into teaching. He became the history teacher at Bay Shore High School in Bay Shore, New York for three years, and then in 1961 became the school's assistant principal for the next decade. In 1971, he became the principal at Rocky Point High School, a public school he worked at for 23 years until retirement in 1994.

After a standout college career, Thieben was selected in the 1956 NBA draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. Thieben's career spanned two seasons, and between the two he had his most success during his rookie campaign in 1956–57. Playing for the Fort Wayne Pistons, he appeared in 58 games while averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Fort Wayne finished in third place in the Western Division with a 34–38 overall record, but did advance to the first round of the playoffs.

Thieben continued his 20–20 average during his senior season in 1955–56. By this time, Hofstra had become classified as a Division I institution. In 26 games played, he averaged 26.9 points and 24.2 rebounds en route to a third consecutive All-Metropolitan area selection. He repeated as a Look magazine All-American, and he was also selected as the Haggerty Award winner. The Haggerty Award has been given annually since 1936 to the New York City metropolitan area's top male collegiate basketball player, and Thieben was the first Hofstra player to receive it.

In 1953–54, his sophomore year, he became eligible to play. Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall and weighing 215 pounds, Thieben is considered the first "big man" in Hofstra basketball history. He played in 24 games that season and averaged 24.6 points and 25.8 rebounds per game. That rebounding average is the 11th-highest in Division II history. In Thieben's junior season (1954–55), he went on to average a career high 29.2 points and 24.4 rebounds in 26 games played. Look magazine named him an All-American at the end of the season.

Thieben was a native of Suffolk County, New York, and attended Sayville High School from 1948 to 1952. On February 26, 1952, he scored a school record 48 points in a game against Northport (record since tied). Sayville won the contest, 85–66.

William Bernard Thieben (March 28, 1935 – April 15, 2021) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1956–57 and the Detroit Pistons in 1957–58 (the franchise was moved between the two seasons). He was selected in the 1956 NBA draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons.