Lance Thomas facts for kids
Thomas with the New York Knicks in 2017
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | April 24, 1988 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Duke (2006–2010) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2010 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2010–2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Austin Toros | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | New Orleans Hornets | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Austin Toros | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | New Orleans Hornets / Pelicans | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Foshan Dralions | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | New York Knicks | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Brooklyn Nets | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Lance Thomas (born April 24, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was a starting power forward for the Duke team that won the national championship in 2010.
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High School Basketball Journey
Lance Thomas started his high school basketball career at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in New Jersey. After two years, he moved to St. Benedict's Preparatory School. Here, he helped his team win two state titles. They had an amazing record of 56 wins and only 3 losses in his last two seasons.
During his senior year, he averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In 2005, Lance played in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival. His team won a silver medal. After his senior year, he was chosen to play in the 2006 McDonald's All-American game. This game features the best high school players in the country.
Experts like Rivals.com saw Lance as a top player. They ranked him as the 13th best small forward and the 42nd best player overall in 2006. On April 5, 2006, he decided to play college basketball at Duke University. Before starting college, he helped the USA Under-18 national team win a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.
College Basketball at Duke
At Duke, Lance Thomas played as a freshman. He averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He was very good at shooting close to the basket. In 31 games, he started 18 times.
As a sophomore, he continued to improve. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in about 18 minutes per game. He often grabbed at least five rebounds in games.
Lance scored his highest college points, 21, against Duquesne on November 28, 2008. People said that if he got the ball near the basket, he would almost always score.
In his junior year, Lance averaged 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds. He believed that the Duke team was better because they had more experience.
For his senior year, Lance was a co-captain of the Duke team. His teammate was All-American point guard Jon Scheyer. In January 2010, Lance had a career-high 12 rebounds against NC State. He helped Duke win the 2010 NCAA championship. This was Duke's fourth national title since 1991.
In the championship game, Duke played against Butler. Butler's star player, Gordon Hayward, missed a last-second shot. This gave Duke a close 61–59 victory. Lance was also named to the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2010. He finished his college career as one of Duke's top players for offensive rebounds.
Professional Basketball Career
Austin Toros (2010–2012)
After college, Lance Thomas began his professional career in the NBA Development League (now called the G League). He played for the Austin Toros from November 2010 to December 2011. In December 2011, he signed with the New Orleans Hornets for their training camp. He made the team for the start of the 2011–12 NBA season. However, he was later waived by the team.
Lance returned to the Austin Toros in January 2012. He was chosen to play in the 2012 NBA Development League All-Star Game. Over two seasons with Austin, he averaged 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2012–2013)
In February 2012, the New Orleans Hornets called Lance up again. He signed a 10-day contract, then another, and finally a multi-year deal.
During the 2012–13 season, Lance played in 59 games for the Hornets. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In April 2013, the team changed its name to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Lance was waived by the Pelicans in July 2013. He re-signed with them in August but only played five games in the 2013–14 season before being waived again. In total, he played 106 games for New Orleans over three seasons.
Foshan Dralions (2013–2014)
In December 2013, Lance Thomas went to China to play for the Foshan Dralions in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He had a great time there. In 16 games, he averaged 26.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He also had 1.6 steals per game.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2014–2015)
Lance signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in September 2014. The Thunder's coach, Scott Brooks, praised Lance. He said Lance was a hard worker who could guard different positions. He added that Lance always gave his best effort.
New York Knicks (2015–2019)
In January 2015, Lance was traded to the New York Knicks. He was waived by the Knicks a couple of days later. However, he returned to the Knicks on a 10-day contract. He signed another 10-day contract, and then a deal for the rest of the season.
On March 22, 2015, Lance scored a career-high 24 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. He re-signed with the Knicks in July 2015. On December 21, 2015, he tied his career high again with 24 points against the Orlando Magic.
Lance re-signed with the Knicks again in July 2016. Before the 2017–18 season, he was named a co-captain of the Knicks team. He was waived by the Knicks in June 2019.
Brooklyn Nets (2020)
Lance signed with the Brooklyn Nets in September 2019 but was waived a month later. In July 2020, the Nets signed Lance again as a substitute player.
National Team Career
Lance Thomas has also represented his country in basketball. In 2011, he was part of the US national team. They won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara.
In 2012, Lance was added to the USA Men's Select Team roster. This team helped the main 2012 USA Basketball Men's National Team train for their games.
See also
In Spanish: Lance Thomas para niños
