Etan Thomas
Encyclopedia
Dedreck Etan Thomas, commonly referred to as Etan Thomas (born April 1, 1978 in Harlem
, New York
), is an American
professional basketball
player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks
of the National Basketball Association
.
from 1996–2000, where he averaged 11 points per game and almost 7 rebounds per game. His senior year he was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. At the end of his Syracuse career, Thomas was drafted 12th overall in the 2000 NBA Draft
by the Dallas Mavericks
. He also played basketball at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, OK, where he was a teammate of De'mond Parker
, R.W. McQuarters and Ryan Humphrey
.
in 2001 and has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds throughout his career.
On June 23, 2009, he was traded along with Oleksiy Pecherov
, Darius Songaila
, and a first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves
for Randy Foye
and Mike Miller.
On July 27, 2009, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder
along with a 2010 second-round draft pick and a conditional 2010 second-round draft pick in exchange for guards Chucky Atkins
and Damien Wilkins
.
On September 2, 2010, it was announced that the Atlanta Hawks
had signed Thomas.
. On October 11, 2007, Thomas successfully underwent open heart surgery. He returned to play for the Wizards on October 29, 2008, a full year after his surgery. In his first game back, he had 10 points and eight rebounds.
.
He is a peace activist; in September 2005, Thomas was one of several celebrities to speak at the anti-war rally in Washington D.C.. He also spoke out at the September 15, 2007 anti-war protest
in Washington D.C. He regularly blogs on the Huffington Post.
Thomas actively supported President
Barack Obama
's 2008 campaign. On August 16, 2008, he appeared with Democratic National Committee
chair Howard Dean
at stops in northern Virginia as part of the Democratic National Committee's "Register for Change" bus tour to encourage local voter registration drives. Thomas gave speeches at two stops in Fairfax County (Lee District: Etan Thomas speech) and the City of Alexandria.
In January 2010, Thomas donated $30,000 to the Haiti relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake
.
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 47 || 0 || 13.1 || .536 || .000 || .554 || 3.9 || .1 || .4 || .7 || 4.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 38 || 0 || 13.5 || .492 || .000 || .638 || 4.3 || .1 || .2 || .6 || 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 79 || 15 || 24.1 || .489 || .000 || .647 || 6.7 || .9 || .5 || 1.6 || 8.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 47 || 10 || 20.8 || .502 || .000 || .528 || 5.2 || .4 || .4 || 1.1 || 7.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 71 || 9 || 15.8 || .533 || .000 || .600 || 3.9 || .2 || .3 || 1.0 || 4.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 65 || 32 || 19.2 || .574 || .000 || .558 || 5.8 || .4 || .3 || 1.4 || 6.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 26 || 7 || 11.8 || .485 || .000 || .696 || 2.5 || .2 || .1 || .7 || 3.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City
| 23 || 1 || 14.0 || .456 || .000 || .591 || 2.8 || .0 || .2 || .7 || 3.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 13 || 0 || 6.3 || .476 || .000 || .800 || 1.8 || .2 || .1 || .3 || 2.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 409 || 74 || 17.3 || .513 || .000 || .603 || 4.8 || .4 || .3 || 1.0 || 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 8 || 0 || 15.8 || .655 || .000 || .455 || 4.5 || .3 || .0 || .9 || 6.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 3 || 0 || 6.0 || .400 || .000 || .500 || 2.0 || .0 || .7 || .7 || 2.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 4 || 4 || 21.0 || .412 || .000 || .667 || 5.5 || .3 || .5 || .8 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010
| style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City
| 2 || 0 || 8.5 || .833 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 6.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2011
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 1 || 0 || 7.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 18 || 4 || 14.0 || .559 || .000 || .541 || 3.8 || .2 || .2 || .7 || 4.8
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
College
Etan Thomas played college basketball at Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
from 1996–2000, where he averaged 11 points per game and almost 7 rebounds per game. His senior year he was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. At the end of his Syracuse career, Thomas was drafted 12th overall in the 2000 NBA Draft
2000 NBA Draft
The 2000 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2000 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Until 2011, it was the last draft held at the home arena of an NBA team; the following and subsequent drafts have all taken place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. This draft is...
by the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. He also played basketball at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, OK, where he was a teammate of De'mond Parker
De'mond Parker
De'Mond Keith Parker was an American football running back for the Oklahoma Sooners, one of their all-time greats, that had a limited career in the National Football League...
, R.W. McQuarters and Ryan Humphrey
Ryan Humphrey
Ryan Ashley Humphrey is an American professional basketball player, at the power forward position.After a college career at both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Notre Dame, Humphrey was a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2002 NBA Draft...
.
Professional career
Without ever playing a game for the Mavericks, he was traded to the Washington WizardsWashington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
in 2001 and has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds throughout his career.
On June 23, 2009, he was traded along with Oleksiy Pecherov
Oleksiy Pecherov
Oleksiy Pecherov is a Ukrainian basketball player. He stands at 7'0".The NBA's Washington Wizards selected him with the 18th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft; Pecherov signed a contract with the Wizards on July 5, 2007. Pecherov had previously played with Paris Basket Racing internationally...
, Darius Songaila
Darius Songaila
Darius Songaila is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is also a member of the Lithuania national team. He can play power forward and center positions. He currently plays for Galatasaray Medical Park in Turkey....
, and a first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
for Randy Foye
Randy Foye
Randy Foye is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. He played collegiately at Villanova University. He was selected seventh overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and later traded to...
and Mike Miller.
On July 27, 2009, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
along with a 2010 second-round draft pick and a conditional 2010 second-round draft pick in exchange for guards Chucky Atkins
Chucky Atkins
Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins is an American professional basketball player. He is currently a free agent.-Basketball career:...
and Damien Wilkins
Damien Wilkins
Damien Lamont Wilkins is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks. He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida and then enrolled at North Carolina State University. After two years at NCSU he transferred to the University of Georgia...
.
On September 2, 2010, it was announced that the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
had signed Thomas.
Health concerns
During the Wizards' training camp for the 2007–08 NBA season, a routine physical examination discovered that he had a leaking aortic valveAortic valve
The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. It is normally tricuspid , although in 1% of the population it is found to be congenitally bicuspid . It lies between the left ventricle and the aorta....
. On October 11, 2007, Thomas successfully underwent open heart surgery. He returned to play for the Wizards on October 29, 2008, a full year after his surgery. In his first game back, he had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Personal life
In 2005, Thomas released a book of poetry titled "More Than an Athlete: Poems by Etan Thomas" which included works critical of former Wizards head coach Doug CollinsDoug Collins
Paul Douglas "Doug" Collins is a retired American basketball player, a former four-time NBA All-Star and currently the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-High school and college:...
.
He is a peace activist; in September 2005, Thomas was one of several celebrities to speak at the anti-war rally in Washington D.C.. He also spoke out at the September 15, 2007 anti-war protest
September 15, 2007 anti-war protest
The September 15, 2007 anti-war protest was a march from the White House to the United States Capitol. It was organized by Veterans for Peace and the ANSWER Coalition. Volunteers were recruited for a civil disobedience action, which included a die-in. Volunteers signed up to take on the name of a...
in Washington D.C. He regularly blogs on the Huffington Post.
Thomas actively supported President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's 2008 campaign. On August 16, 2008, he appeared with Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chair Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
at stops in northern Virginia as part of the Democratic National Committee's "Register for Change" bus tour to encourage local voter registration drives. Thomas gave speeches at two stops in Fairfax County (Lee District: Etan Thomas speech) and the City of Alexandria.
In January 2010, Thomas donated $30,000 to the Haiti relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
.
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 47 || 0 || 13.1 || .536 || .000 || .554 || 3.9 || .1 || .4 || .7 || 4.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 38 || 0 || 13.5 || .492 || .000 || .638 || 4.3 || .1 || .2 || .6 || 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 79 || 15 || 24.1 || .489 || .000 || .647 || 6.7 || .9 || .5 || 1.6 || 8.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 47 || 10 || 20.8 || .502 || .000 || .528 || 5.2 || .4 || .4 || 1.1 || 7.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 71 || 9 || 15.8 || .533 || .000 || .600 || 3.9 || .2 || .3 || 1.0 || 4.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 65 || 32 || 19.2 || .574 || .000 || .558 || 5.8 || .4 || .3 || 1.4 || 6.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 26 || 7 || 11.8 || .485 || .000 || .696 || 2.5 || .2 || .1 || .7 || 3.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
| 23 || 1 || 14.0 || .456 || .000 || .591 || 2.8 || .0 || .2 || .7 || 3.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
| 13 || 0 || 6.3 || .476 || .000 || .800 || 1.8 || .2 || .1 || .3 || 2.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 409 || 74 || 17.3 || .513 || .000 || .603 || 4.8 || .4 || .3 || 1.0 || 5.7
Playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 8 || 0 || 15.8 || .655 || .000 || .455 || 4.5 || .3 || .0 || .9 || 6.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 3 || 0 || 6.0 || .400 || .000 || .500 || 2.0 || .0 || .7 || .7 || 2.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
| style="text-align:left;"| Washington
| 4 || 4 || 21.0 || .412 || .000 || .667 || 5.5 || .3 || .5 || .8 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
| 2 || 0 || 8.5 || .833 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 6.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2011
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
| 1 || 0 || 7.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 18 || 4 || 14.0 || .559 || .000 || .541 || 3.8 || .2 || .2 || .7 || 4.8