Kurt Thomas 40

Position: Forward Born: 10/4/72 Height: 6-9 / 2m 6cm Weight: 230 lbs. / 104.3kg College - Texas Christian '95

STORY One of only three players to lead the NCAA's Division I in scoring and rebounding during his senior year at Texas Christian, Kurt Thomas moved into the Miami Heat's starting lineup midway through his rookie season, replacing the veteran Kevin Willis at power forward. But ankle injuries limited him to just 18 games during his second season, when he was traded from Miami to the Dallas Mavericks, and to five games in his third season. At TCU, Thomas averaged 28.9 ppg and 14.6 rpg as a senior to join the late Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount and former Wichita State star Xavier McDaniel as the only players in NCAA history to accomplish the feat. Thomas was named a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press, and he won Southwest Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final season. He finished his career at TCU ranked first in blocked shots (166), fifth in scoring (1,512) and sixth in field goal percentage (.524). Drafted on the first round by Miami in 1995, the 10th player picked overall, Thomas had a promising rookie season in which he averaged 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He started the final 27 games of the season following the trading of Willis and finished strong, averaging 9.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg in those 27 outings. His second season was virtually wiped out by ankle injuries. He started the first nine games of the season for Miami, but went on the injured list on Nov. 19 after undergoing surgery to insert screws into a stress fracture in his right ankle. He came back and played in nine more games before returning to the injured list because of an ankle fracture suffered on Jan. 24. On Feb. 14, while he was sidelined, he was traded from Miami to Dallas in the deal that brought Jamal Mashburn to the Heat. He was moved to the Mavericks' injured list and did not play for Dallas because of the ankle injury. His third season was another washout. Thomas played in five games before tests revealed that he had fractured the ankle again. He sat out the remainder of the season but served as an assistant coach for the Mavericks, at 25 the youngest assistant coach in the league. Prior to the 1998-99 season, Thomas was looking to start anew and signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks.

PERSONAL - Serving as an assistant coach for the Mavericks on 1997-98 after a season-ending ankle injury - Started a program called "Have a Ball with Kurt Thomas" which includes four seats given to an underprivileged family and an autographed ball to be donated before each game - Considers his grandfather his closest friend - His hobbies include sleeping and playing video games KURT THOMAS Pictures Stats Multimedia

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

- Registered a 1997-98 season-high 13 points and 7 rebounds, in 17 minutes, against the L.A. Lakers on 11/11/97
- Established career bests with 29 points and 15 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings on 12/10/95
- Made his NBA Playoffs debut in 1996, scoring a total of 12 points in 3 games
- Appeared in the Schick Rookie Game during the 1996 NBA All-Star Weekend in San Antonio, scoring nine points
- Led NCAA Division I-A in scoring (28.9 ppg) and rebounding (14.6 rpg) as a senior, only the third player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat

TRANSACTIONS

- Selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (10th pick overall) of the 1995 NBA Draft. Traded by the Heat with Sasha Danilovic and Martin Muursepp to the Dallas Mavericks for Jamal Mashburn on 2/14/97. Signed as a free agent by the New York Knicks on 1/22/99.

STATISTICS

Career Stats								REBOUNDS
YEAR	TEAM	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	OFF	DFF	TOT	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
95-96	Mia	74	42	22.4	.501	.000	.663	1.6	4.3	5.9	0.6	0.64	0.49	9.0
96-97	Mia	18	9	20.8	.371	.000	.761	1.7	4.2	5.9	0.5	0.67	0.50	6.3
97-98	Dal	5	0	14.6	.378	--	1.000	1.6	3.2	4.8	0.6	0.20	0.00	7.4
98-99	Ny	50	44	23.6	.462	.000	.611	1.6	4.1	5.7	1.1	0.90	0.34	8.1
Career		147	95	22.3	.469	.000	.663	1.7	4.2	5.8	0.8	0.71	0.42	8.3
Playoff		23	15	20.8	.383	--	.741	1.8	3.7	5.5	0.4	0.74	0.57	5.1

SEASON AND CAREER-HIGHS

Season and Career-Highs
	1998-99 HIGHS		CAREER HIGHS
Points	20	vs. Heat, 5/5/99	29	@ Kings, 12/10/95
Field Goals Made	8	4 Times	11	@ Kings, 12/10/95
Field Goals Attempted	15	vs. Heat, 5/5/99	24	@ Knicks, 12/19/95
Three point Field Goals Made	None		None
Three point Field Goals Attempted	1	vs. Sixers, 4/13/99	1	4 Times
Free Throws Made	5	@ Bulls, 3/12/99	8	vs. Clippers, 12/30/95
Free Throws Attempted	8	2 Times	10	vs. Pistons, 12/22/95
Offensive Rebounds	6	@ Heat, 3/2/99	6	3 Times
Defensive Rebounds	11	2 Times	11	2 Times
Total Rebounds	12	2 Times	15	@ Kings, 12/10/95
Assists	3	6 Times	5	@ Hornets, 4/10/96
Steals	4	@ Hornets, 4/26/99	4	2 Times
Blocks	2	2 Times	4	vs. Nets, 12/26/95
Minutes Played	40	vs. Clippers, 3/16/99	41	@ Warriors, 12/12/95