Tyrus Wayne Thomas (born August 17, 1986) 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 played college basketball for

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

(LSU) before being drafted fourth overall by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

in the 2006 NBA draft. He was then traded to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

where he went on to play three and a half seasons when in February 2010, he was traded to the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

High school career

As a 5'10" freshman, Thomas tried out for his varsity basketball team but was cut. He only played organized basketball in his last two years at McKinley High School in Baton Rouge, but never really built up enough recruiting hype to be considered a top 100 prospect. As a junior, he was a mere and , and when he officially committed to LSU, the school did not initially have a scholarship for him. One later opened up when a JUCO recruit was kicked off LSU's team and saw his scholarship offer rescinded. By senior year, Thomas had grown to , . As a senior, Tyrus averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks per game, earning him all-second team honors in Louisiana.

College career

As a

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

freshman at LSU in 2005–06, Thomas was the team's starting power forward, and because of his leaping ability, he developed a reputation as an outstanding shot blocker, rebounder and dunker. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in 32 games (22 starts) while shooting over 60% from the field. Thomas was also recognized as the NCAA Atlanta Region MVP in the NCAA Tournament after combining for 30 points against the likes of Duke and Texas.

2006 NCAA Tournament

Thomas entered the 2006 NCAA Tournament still recovering from a sprained ankle suffered in the February 26 game against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

that caused him to miss the last two regular season games and the SEC Tournament. However, the injury did not hamper him as he continued the pattern of the regular season, his performances in the 2006 NCAA Tournament improved with every passing game as #4 seed LSU advanced to their first Final Four since 1986. His minutes were somewhat limited by the injury in the first-round game against No. 13 seed

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...

and the second-round game against No. 12 seed

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

but he was back to form by LSU's Atlanta Regional semi-final (Sweet 16) matchup against perennial power and overall top seed

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

. In the Duke game, Thomas recorded 9 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks despite being limited to 25 minutes due to early foul trouble as LSU held Duke to a 27.7 percent field goal percentage and only 54 points, the school's lowest output since 1996. Thomas was even more dominant in the Regional Final (Elite Eight) win against No. 2 seed

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, recording 21 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. These performances earned Thomas the Atlanta Regional's Most Valuable Player award.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2006–2010)

On April 17, 2006, Thomas announced his intention to enter the NBA draft, and signed with an agent, removing his college eligibility. On June 28, 2006, Thomas was drafted fourth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the

. He was later traded to the

for the second overall pick, LaMarcus Aldridge on draft night. Thomas appeared in 72 games his rookie year, with four starts, and averaged 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 13.4 minutes per game. He participated in the Sprite Rising Stars

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

, becoming the first Chicago Bulls representative since Scottie Pippen entered the contest in 1990. He tied a season-high 11 rebounds, including the game-winning tip-in with 0.2 seconds to play against

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

on March 22. He then posted a career-high 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds against

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

on March 31. He subsequently earned

NBA All-Rookie second team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

honors. Thomas appeared in 74 games his sophomore year, with 27 starts, and averaged 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He posted 21 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks in the second game of the season against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

and went on to finish the season very strong in April with a 24-point performance against 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 ...

, a 20-point, 14-rebound performance against the

, and a 26-point performance in the season finale against 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 ...

. Thomas had a career-best season in 2008–09 as he averaged 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks in 79 games (61 starts). Tyrus Thomas

After what was a career-best season for Thomas in 2008–09, he managed just four games for the Bulls in 2009–10 before fracturing his forearm during practice on November 6, putting him out for four to six weeks. He returned to action on December 26 and came off the bench behind rookie

Taj Gibson Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gibson played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected 26th overall by th ...

Charlotte Bobcats (2010–2013)

On February 18, 2010, Thomas was traded to the

in exchange for

Ronald Murray Ronald "Flip" Murray (born July 29, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball player who last played for Al Mouttahed Tripoli of the Lebanese Basketball League. He is a , point guard–shooting guard. After attending Strawberry Mansio ...

, Acie Law and a future first-round draft pick. On July 12, 2010, Thomas re-signed with the Bobcats to a five-year, $40 million deal. On January 25, 2012, in a loss to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

, Thomas recorded a career-high 9 blocked shots, one shy of the franchise record. On July 10, 2013, Thomas was waived by the Bobcats via the amnesty clause.

Iowa Energy (2015)

On January 13, 2015, Thomas was acquired by the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

Memphis Grizzlies (2015)

On January 22, Thomas signed a 10-day contract with 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 ...

Return to Iowa (2015)

Following the expiration of his contract on February 1, Thomas was not offered a second 10-day contract by the Grizzlies and subsequently returned to Iowa two days later.

Eisbären Bremerhaven (2015–2016)

On September 4, 2015, Thomas signed a one-year deal with

Eisbären Bremerhaven Eisbären Bremerhaven ( en, Polar Bears Bremerhaven) is a professional basketball club from Bremerhaven, Germany, that competes in the ProA. The team was established as the professional section of the club BSG Bremerhaven and played in the first ...

of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) ( English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL seas ...

. On February 26, 2016, he parted ways with Bremerhaven after averaging 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in Bundesliga.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 72 , , 4 , , 13.4 , , .475 , , .000 , , .606 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 74 , , 27 , , 18.0 , , .423 , , .167 , , .741 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 79 , , 61 , , 27.5 , , .451 , , .333 , , .783 , , 6.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.9 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 29 , , 3 , , 23.4 , , .483 , , .000 , , .644 , , 6.3 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.7 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 25 , , 0 , , 21.7 , , .442 , , .000 , , .729 , , 6.1 , , .9 , , .9 , , 1.5 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 41 , , 2 , , 21.0 , , .471 , , .000 , , .787 , , 5.5 , , .7 , , .7 , , 1.6 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 54 , , 30 , , 18.8 , , .367 , , .333 , , .759 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 2 , , 13.8 , , .353 , , .375 , , .839 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .5 , , .6 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , 1.000 , , , , 1.000 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 402 , , 129 , , 19.7 , , .438 , , .235 , , .732 , , 4.8 , , .9 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 7.7

Playoffs

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2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 12.2 , , .390 , , , , .633 , , 3.4 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 7 , , 7 , , 27.9 , , .438 , , .000 , , .786 , , 6.3 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 2.9 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 17.0 , , .625 , , , , .833 , , 5.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 8.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 21 , , 7 , , 18.3 , , .457 , , .000 , , .700 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , 7.3

Personal life

Thomas is known for his extensive

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

work. He was introduced to tattoos by his mother, who brought him to a tattoo artist when he was in tenth grade. Although he was a minor when he got his first tattoo and he is self-described as "very pro-tattoos", as an adult he has done a complete 180 and is now "anti-kids and tattoos".Tattoo U: Inking of Charlotte Bobcats Forward Tyrus Thomas
/ref>

References

External links

LSU Tigers bio

ESPN.com profile

DraftExpress.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Tyrus 1986 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Germany American men's basketball players Basketball players from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Charlotte Bobcats players Chicago Bulls players Eisbären Bremerhaven players Iowa Energy players LSU Tigers basketball players McKinley Senior High School alumni Memphis Grizzlies players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Power forwards (basketball) 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people