Deon Thomas facts for kids
| Forward | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 24, 1971 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| High school | Simeon (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Illinois (1990–1994) |
| NBA Draft | 1994 / Round: 2 / Pick: 28th overall |
| Selected by the Dallas Mavericks | |
| Pro career | 1994–2008 |
| Career history | |
| 1994–1995 | Bàsquet Manresa |
| 1995–1996 | Girona |
| 1996–1997 | Unicaja Málaga |
| 1997–1998 | Caja San Fernando |
| 1998–1999 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| 1999–2001 | Gran Canaria |
| 2001–2003 | Cáceres |
| 2003 | Türk Telekom |
| 2003–2005 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2005–2006 | Gymnastikos S. Larissas |
| 2006 | CSKA Sofia |
| 2006–2007 | Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel |
| 2007–2008 | Maccabi Haifa |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Deon Lavelle Thomas (Hebrew: דיון תומאס; born February 24, 1971) is a former professional basketball player from the United States and Israel. He was a talented player in high school, leading his team to a major championship. Later, at the University of Illinois, he became the top scorer in the history of the Fighting Illini basketball team.
After being chosen by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1994 NBA draft, Deon decided to play basketball professionally in Europe and Israel instead of the NBA.
Contents
High School Basketball Star
Deon Thomas was a standout basketball player at Chicago's Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School. He graduated in 1989. In 1988, when he was a junior, he helped his team, the Wolverines, win the Chicago Public League title.
In his senior year, Deon was named Illinois Mr. Basketball, which means he was recognized as the best high school player in Illinois. He also played in the McDonald's All-American Game, a special game for top high school players. Future NBA star Shaquille O'Neal was also in that game.
College Career Highlights
Deon Thomas played college basketball for the University of Illinois. He became the all-time leading scorer for the Fighting Illini team, scoring a total of 2,129 points during his college career. This means he scored an average of 18.0 points per game.
Deon is the only men's basketball player in Illinois history to score more than 2,000 points. In 2004, he was chosen for the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team," which honors the best players from the university's history.
Playing Professional Basketball
In 1994, the Dallas Mavericks picked Deon Thomas as the 28th player in the 1994 NBA draft. However, Deon chose to play professional basketball in Europe and Israel instead of joining the NBA.
He played for two years in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv. During this time, he helped his team win the Israeli championship and the Israeli cup three times each. He also won the Euroleague championship twice. In 2005, he broke his leg, which meant he couldn't play in the Euroleague Final Four and had to leave Maccabi Tel Aviv.
After that, Deon played for the Greek team Gymnastikos S. Larissas, and the Bulgarian team CSKA Sofia. He then returned to Israel to play for Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel and later for Maccabi Haifa. Deon Thomas is known as one of the most successful American players in European basketball leagues.
Coaching and Announcing Career
After his playing career, Deon Thomas moved into coaching and sports announcing. In 2009, he became the head coach for the men's basketball team at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois.
In April 2014, he was named an assistant basketball coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago. In 2016, he joined the Fighting Illini Sports Network to commentate on men's basketball games alongside Doug Altenberger.
Personal Life
Deon Thomas is now an Israeli citizen. He is married to an Israeli woman.
Awards and Honors
Deon Thomas received many awards and honors throughout his basketball career, both in high school and college.
High School Honors
- 1988 – IHSA 1st Team All-State
- 1988 – IHSA State Tournament All-Tournament Team
- 1989 – IHSA 1st Team All-State
- 1989 – Parade Magazine 1st Team All-American
- 1989 – McDonald's All-American
- 1989 – Illinois Mr. Basketball
- 2015 – Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player.
College Honors
- 1991 – 3rd Team All-Big Ten
- 1992 – Illini Team Co-Captain
- 1992 – Illini MVP
- 1992 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
- 1993 – Illini Team Co-Captain
- 1993 – Illini MVP
- 1993 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
- 1994 – Illini Team Co-Captain
- 1994 – Illini MVP
- 1994 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
- 1994 – Honorable Mention All American
- 2004 – Elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team".
- 2008 – Honored as one of the thirty-three honored jerseys that hang in the State Farm Center. These jerseys show respect for the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.
- 2019 – Inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Deon Thomas para niños
