Etan Thomas

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Etan Thomas
Position Center
Height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight 260 lb (120 kg)
Team Washington Wizards
Jersey #36
Born April 1, 1978 (1978-04-01) (age 30)
Harlem, New York City
Nationality USA
College Syracuse University
Draft 12th overall, 2000
Dallas Mavericks
Pro career 2001–present

Dedreck Etan Thomas, commonly referred to as Etan Thomas (born April 1, 1978 in Harlem, New York), is an American professional basketball player in the NBA with the Washington Wizards.

Contents

[edit] College

Etan Thomas played college basketball at Syracuse University 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. Without ever playing a game for the Mavericks, he was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2001 and has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds throughout his career.

[edit] 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 Collins. Thomas is known as an articulate writer and has contributed articles to various magazines and websites.

In September 2005, Thomas was one of several celebrities to speak at the anti-war rally in Washington D.C.. He has since posted on Huffington Post.

He also spoke out at the September 15, 2007 anti-war protest in Washington D.C. ].[1]

[edit] Feud with Brendan Haywood

In 2006 he beat out Brendan Haywood to become the starting center for the Washington Wizards, but Haywood regained the starting job by the spring of 2007. Throughout the 2006-2007 season, both Haywood and Thomas got into several physical altercations. They showed a visible dislike for one another at games, going as far as refusing to acknowledge one another during games. Prior to the 2007-2008 season, Haywood claims the fighting has ceased, "I told somebody that Ali and Frazier only fought three times so that has to be the end of it for me and Etan. At the end of the day, we both have a mutual respect for each other and we realize that we embarrass ourselves, our team and our families every time we go out there and act silly. You can always talk things out before you fight. Besides, he's a peace activist so he can't do that anyway."[2]

[edit] Health concerns

During the Wizards' training camp for the 2007-08 NBA season, Thomas found out in a routine physical examination that he had a cardiac irregularity. On October 11, 2007 Thomas successfully underwent open heart surgery, he is currently participating in full contact practice with the Wizards, and is expected to return sometime during April 2008. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Etan Thomas: In Defense of Barack Obama
  2. ^ Brendan Haywood: No More Fights with Etan - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog
  3. ^ ESPN - Return to NBA not ruled out for Thomas after heart surgery Unfortunately Thomas was not able to return. He is expected to be back for the 2008-09 season.- NBA

[edit] External links

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