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Tyrus Thomas
Tyrus Thomas in 2008.jpg
Thomas in 2008
Personal information
Born (1986-08-17) August 17, 1986 (age 38)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
High school McKinley (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College LSU (2005–2006)
NBA Draft 2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Pro career 2006–2016
Career history
2006–2010 Chicago Bulls
2010–2013 Charlotte Bobcats
2015 Iowa Energy
2015 Memphis Grizzlies
2015–2016 Eisbären Bremerhaven
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2007)
  • Second-team All-SEC (2006)
  • SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year (2006)
  • SEC Freshman of the Year (2006)
  • SEC All-Freshman Team (2006)

Tyrus Wayne Thomas (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU). In 2006, he was picked fourth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was then traded to the Chicago Bulls. Tyrus played for the Bulls for three and a half seasons. In February 2010, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Tyrus Thomas's High School Journey

When Tyrus Thomas was a freshman, he was 5 feet 10 inches tall. He tried out for his high school basketball team but did not make it. He only started playing organized basketball in his last two years at McKinley High School. This was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

As a junior, he grew to 6 feet 6 inches and weighed 190 pounds. When he first decided to go to LSU, there wasn't even a scholarship for him. Later, a spot opened up. By his senior year, Tyrus was 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks per game. These great stats earned him second-team honors in Louisiana.

College Basketball Career

Tyrus Thomas played for LSU in the 2005–06 season. He was a "redshirted" freshman. This means he spent a year practicing with the team but didn't play in games. This allowed him to get stronger and learn more.

He became the team's starting power forward. Tyrus was known for his amazing jumping ability. He was great at blocking shots, grabbing rebounds, and dunking the ball. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. He averaged 12.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. He also shot over 60% from the field.

Tyrus's Big Tournament in 2006

Tyrus Thomas played in the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He was still recovering from a sprained ankle. This injury made him miss some games before the tournament. But the injury did not stop him.

LSU, a #4 seed, made it to their first Final Four since 1986. Tyrus's playing got better with each game. In the "Sweet 16" game against Duke, Tyrus had 9 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks. LSU held Duke to a very low score. Tyrus was even better in the "Elite Eight" game against Texas. He scored 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had 3 blocks. Because of these great games, Tyrus won the Atlanta Regional's Most Valuable Player award.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Chicago Bulls (2006–2010)

On April 17, 2006, Tyrus Thomas decided to enter the NBA draft. He hired an agent, which meant he could no longer play college basketball. On June 28, 2006, the Portland Trail Blazers picked Tyrus fourth overall in the draft. But on the same night, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls gave up their second pick, LaMarcus Aldridge, to get Tyrus.

In his first year, Tyrus played in 72 games. He averaged 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He also took part in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. He was the first Chicago Bulls player to be in the contest since Scottie Pippen in 1990. Tyrus had a career-high 27 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team.

In his second year, Tyrus played in 74 games. He averaged 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. He finished the season strong in April. He scored 24 points against the Boston Celtics. He also had 20 points and 14 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tyrus Thomas
Thomas with the Chicago Bulls in February 2009.

The 2008–09 season was Tyrus's best. He averaged 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 79 games. He started in 61 of those games. In the 2009–10 season, Tyrus broke his forearm in practice. This injury kept him out for four to six weeks. When he returned, he played as a backup player.

Time with the Charlotte Bobcats (2010–2013)

On February 18, 2010, Tyrus Thomas was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats gave up Ronald Murray, Acie Law, and a future draft pick for him.

On July 12, 2010, Tyrus signed a new five-year contract with the Bobcats for $40 million. On January 25, 2012, Tyrus set a career high. He blocked 9 shots in a game against the Washington Wizards. This was just one block shy of the Bobcats' team record. On July 10, 2013, the Bobcats released Tyrus from his contract.

Playing for the Iowa Energy (2015)

On January 13, 2015, Tyrus Thomas joined the Iowa Energy. This team is part of the NBA Development League, which is now called the G League.

Short Time with the Memphis Grizzlies (2015)

On January 22, Tyrus signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. This gave him a chance to play in the NBA again.

Back to Iowa (2015)

After his 10-day contract ended, the Grizzlies did not offer him another one. So, Tyrus returned to the Iowa Energy two days later.

Playing in Germany (2015–2016)

On September 4, 2015, Tyrus signed a one-year deal to play basketball in Germany. He joined Eisbären Bremerhaven in the Basketball Bundesliga. On February 26, 2016, he left the team. He had averaged 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game there.

NBA Career Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular Season Games

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006–07 Chicago 72 4 13.4 .475 .000 .606 3.7 .6 .6 1.1 5.2
2007–08 Chicago 74 27 18.0 .423 .167 .741 4.6 1.2 .6 1.0 6.8
2008–09 Chicago 79 61 27.5 .451 .333 .783 6.5 1.0 1.2 1.9 10.8
2009–10 Chicago 29 3 23.4 .483 .000 .644 6.3 1.1 1.4 1.7 8.8
2009–10 Charlotte 25 0 21.7 .442 .000 .729 6.1 .9 .9 1.5 10.1
2010–11 Charlotte 41 2 21.0 .471 .000 .787 5.5 .7 .7 1.6 10.2
2011–12 Charlotte 54 30 18.8 .367 .333 .759 3.7 .6 .7 1.1 5.6
2012–13 Charlotte 26 2 13.8 .353 .375 .839 2.3 .7 .5 .6 4.8
2014–15 Memphis 2 0 3.5 1.000 1.000 .0 .5 .0 .0 2.0
Career 402 129 19.7 .438 .235 .732 4.8 .9 .8 1.3 7.7

Playoff Games

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007 Chicago 10 0 12.2 .390 .633 3.4 .6 1.0 .5 5.1
2009 Chicago 7 7 27.9 .438 .000 .786 6.3 .9 1.0 2.9 9.6
2010 Charlotte 4 0 17.0 .625 .833 5.5 .5 .5 .5 8.8
Career 21 7 18.3 .457 .000 .700 4.8 .7 .9 1.3 7.3

Personal Life

Tyrus Thomas is known for having many tattoos. His mother first introduced him to tattoos. She took him to a tattoo artist when he was in tenth grade.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tyrus Thomas para niños

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