John Thomas (born September 8, 1975) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was the captain of the

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...

team that advanced to the 1997 NCAA Semi-Final. Selected by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

with the 25th pick in the

1997 NBA Draft The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto ...

although he never played a game with them as he was traded, along with

Dontae' Jones Dontae' Antijuaine Jones (born June 2, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player, formerly of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jones played college basketball at Northeast Mississippi Community ...

Walter McCarty Walter Lee McCarty (born February 1, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. McCarty played for the NBA's New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. He last served as head coach o ...

and

Scott Brooks Scott William Brooks (born July 31, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the top assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played point guard at San Joaq ...

to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in exchange for Chris Mills and two conditional second-round draft choices on October 22, 1997. Four months later, he was again traded, this time to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, alongside

Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...

, Dee Brown and

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

, for Kenny Anderson,

Zan Tabak Zan or ZAN, may refer to: Geography * Zhan, Kurdistan, Iran, also known as Zān * Zhan, Lorestan, Iran, also known as Žān * Zan, Tehran, a village in Tehran Province, Iran Ethnicity and language * Zans, the Zan People, people who speak the Za ...

and

Popeye Jones Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones (born June 17, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Born in Dresden, ...

. He signed as a free agent with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

in October 2004, appearing in 44 games over the course of the entire season. Thomas was claimed off waivers by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

in November 2005 from the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

and subsequently placed on waivers again on January 5, 2006. To complete the season he appeared in two games with the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. He signed with

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli B ...

in 2009. In 2009–10, he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League. In January 2011, he signed with

Aris B.C. Aris Basketball Club ( el, Άρης K.A.E., transliterated into English Aris B.S.A.) known in European competitions as Aris Thessaloniki, is the professional basketball team of the major Thessaloniki-based Greece, Greek multi-sport club Aris Th ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, but he was released in April 2011. He signed with

Jeonju KCC Egis The Jeonju KCC Egis is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. Current roster Enlisted players Honours Domestic Korean Basketball League *KBL Championship :: Winners (5): 1997–98, 1998– ...

in South Korea the following season. As of 2014, Thomas was the National Coordinator for Ultimate Hoops, an adult basketball league. As of 2015 he was their National Manager of Training.

References

External links

NBA.com Profile - John Thomas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, John 1975 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Minneapolis Boston Celtics players CB Girona players Centers (basketball) Colorado 14ers players Dakota Wizards (CBA) players Greek Basket League players Hapoel Holon players Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Jeonju KCC Egis players Liga ACB players Memphis Grizzlies players Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball players Minnesota Timberwolves players New Jersey Nets players New York Knicks draft picks Roosevelt High School (Minnesota) alumni Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) players Toronto Raptors players Xinjiang Flying Tigers players 20th-century African-American sportspeople