Tim Thomas (basketball)
Timothy Mark Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 26, 1977 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Professional basketball player (former), coach |
| Years active | 1997–2010 (player), 2023–present (coach) |
| Known for | NBA player for multiple teams; head coach at Paramus Catholic High School |
Timothy Mark Thomas (born February 26, 1977) is a former professional basketball player from the United States who has transitioned into coaching. Emerging as a highly regarded talent from Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, New Jersey, Thomas played collegiate basketball for the Villanova Wildcats before declaring for the 1997 NBA draft after his freshman year. Over the course of thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he played with several teams including the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Dallas Mavericks. Presently, Thomas serves as the head coach for the boys basketball program at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey.
High school
Standing at 6 ft 10 in, Thomas was recognized as a multifaceted forward with an excellent shooting ability, widely regarded as a promising future NBA player during his high school years. In his senior season at Paterson Catholic High School, he averaged 25.3 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, which earned him a selection to the prestigious McDonald's All-American team. Nationally ranked second only to Kobe Bryant, both athletes participated in the 1996 McDonald's All-American and Magic Johnson Roundball Classic games and were dominant forces in AAU competitions. Thomas postponed his decision to enter the NBA draft and ultimately committed to Villanova shortly before the deadline.
College career
During his lone year at Villanova University, Thomas quickly established himself as a key contributor. Joining a roster filled with future NBA talent such as Alvin Williams and Malik Allen, he stepped into the role vacated by former Big East Player of the Year Kerry Kittles. Under coach Steve Lappas, Thomas played a pivotal role in guiding Villanova to secure the Big East regular-season championship. The Wildcats concluded as runners-up in the Big East tournament, with Thomas receiving All-Big East recognition, being named Big East Rookie of the Year, and posting averages of 17 points and 6 rebounds per game. Villanova advanced to the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament but were eliminated in the second round by California.
NBA career
Following his freshman year, Thomas was selected seventh overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 1997 NBA draft but was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for their pick (Keith Van Horn).
Philadelphia 76ers
Thomas delivered a solid rookie campaign, averaging 11 points per game and earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Notably, on February 14, 1998, he tallied 27 points along with 6 rebounds in a standout performance against the Nets. Despite this promising start, he experienced a decline during his second season, which led Philadelphia to trade him along with Scott Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999 in exchange for Jerald Honeycutt and Tyrone Hill.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks identified Thomas’s natural abilities and adaptability, anticipating his growth into a star player. On May 13, 1999, during Game 5 of Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series versus the Indiana Pacers, Thomas contributed 12 points and secured 5 rebounds in a narrow 99–91 defeat. Throughout the 2000–01 season, he achieved a personal best average of 13.4 points per game. On January 5, 2001, Thomas set a career-high by sinking eight three-pointers in the second half of a closely contested 119–115 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers, finishing with 39 points.
In that postseason, on April 28, he posted 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds during Game 4’s victory over the Orlando Magic. Ultimately, Milwaukee was eliminated by the MVP-led Philadelphia squad featuring Allen Iverson in the Eastern Conference Finals. Following his impressive playoff run, Thomas agreed to a six-year contract valued at approximately $66 million with Milwaukee, opting against a more lucrative offer from Chicago. Bucks owner Herb Kohl highlighted Thomas as "an essential component of this team" and expressed strong commitment to retaining him.
On January 11 and again on January 15, 2002, Thomas scored 25 points each game contributing to back-to-back wins over the Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers. Nevertheless, Milwaukee failed to qualify for the playoffs that year—the first such occurrence during Thomas’s tenure. On December 9, 2002, he delivered an impressive performance with 22 points and nine rebounds in a double-overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. During the 2003 playoffs, Thomas achieved a playoff career-high of 25 points in Game 1 facing off against the New Jersey Nets, though Milwaukee eventually lost that series in six games.
His teammate Ray Allen once commented that "If he chose to put his mind to it, Tim Thomas could be among the league’s elite players." Known for his unique personal branding while with Milwaukee, Thomas frequently sported a customized jersey bearing "Notorious T.I.M." during public events.
New York Knicks
On February 16, 2004, Thomas was involved in a three-team transaction that sent him to the New York Knicks, with the Atlanta Hawks also participating. This deal resulted in Keith Van Horn moving from the Knicks to the Bucks, Nazr Mohammed transferring from the Hawks to the Knicks, Joel Przybilla shifting from the Bucks to the Hawks, and Michael Doleac heading from the Knicks to the Hawks.
During the opening game of the Knicks' first-round playoff encounter with the Nets, Thomas sustained an injury following a foul committed by Jason Collins, which kept him out for the rest of the postseason. This event ignited a prolonged rivalry with Nets forward Kenyon Martin, which Thomas later suggested resolving through a charity boxing match in 2017; Martin declined the proposal.
Chicago Bulls
Prior to the 2005–06 campaign, Thomas was traded to the Chicago Bulls along with Jermaine Jackson, Mike Sweetney, and several future draft selections (notably LaMarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah) in exchange for Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, and a 2007 first-round pick.
During the final year of his contract, Thomas saw limited minutes as the Bulls focused on rebuilding. After appearing in only three games, he was sidelined due to ankle and back injuries. Almost four months later, he was officially released by Chicago.
Phoenix Suns
Thomas signed with the Phoenix Suns on March 1, 2006, for the remainder of that season. He made his debut two days later, contributing 20 points off the bench in a 123–118 victory over Orlando. Teaming up with consecutive NBA MVP Steve Nash, Thomas experienced a career resurgence in Phoenix.
In the postseason, Thomas played a pivotal role in guiding the Suns to the Western Conference Finals. Filling in as a starter for injured All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire, he led with 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds during a first-round triumph against the Lakers. In game six, Thomas nailed critical three-pointers that helped Phoenix rally from a 3–1 deficit and clinch game seven.
During the second round against the Clippers, Thomas’s defensive efforts against Elton Brand were instrumental in another seven-game series victory. The Suns eventually fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games during the Conference Finals. Despite interest from both sides in extending his stay, salary cap limitations combined with Stoudemire’s anticipated return constrained Phoenix’s ability to re-sign him.
Los Angeles Clippers
On July 13, 2006, Thomas inked a four-year deal worth $24 million with the Los Angeles Clippers. He frequently started as a substitute for Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, although injuries impacted his time with the team.
Second stint with New York
Thomas returned to the New York Knicks on November 21, 2008, when he and Cuttino Mobley were traded in exchange for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins. This reunion reunited him with coach Mike D'Antoni, who had previously coached him during his tenure in Phoenix.
Second stint with Chicago
On February 19, 2009, just before the trade deadline, Thomas was dealt back to Chicago along with center Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson in exchange for guard Larry Hughes. His second spell with the Bulls proved more significant as he offered veteran guidance that helped Chicago secure a playoff berth. As the seventh seed, they pushed their first-round matchup against defending champions Boston Celtics to a full seven games.
On July 14, 2009, Thomas and the Bulls agreed on a buyout of his $6.5 million contract.
Dallas Mavericks
On July 28, 2009, the Dallas Mavericks brought Thomas on board as a free agent. In late January, he took a temporary leave from the team to attend to his wife's private health condition.
In August 2010, Thomas signed a one-year veteran minimum contract with the Mavericks but chose not to join the team in September, opting instead to continue supporting his wife during her illness.
Coaching career
Thomas was appointed head coach of the boys’ basketball program at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey on March 30, 2023.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 77 || 48 || 23.1 || .447 || .363 || .740 || 3.7 || 1.2 || .7 || .2 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 17 || 0 || 11.1 || .403 || .263 || .792 || 1.9 || .9 || .2 || .2 || 4.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 33 || 26 || 18.9 || .495 || .327 || .614 || 2.8 || .9 || .7 || .3 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 80 || 1 || 26.2 || .461 || .346 || .774 || 4.2 || 1.4 || .7 || .4 || 11.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 76 || 16 || 27.4 || .430 || .412 || .771 || 4.1 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .6 || 12.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 74 || 22 || 26.9 || .420 || .326 || .793 || 4.1 || 1.4 || .9 || .4 || 11.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 80 || 70|| 29.5|| .443|| .366|| .780||4.9||1.3||.9|| .6||13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |42||42||32.0||.443||.362||.762||4.9||2.1||1.0||.4||14.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York |24||23||31.1||.452||.406||.813||4.8||1.4||1.0||.2||15.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|
|style="text-align:left;" |New York |71||68||27.3||.439||.409||.786||3.3||1.5||.6||.2||12.0 |- |style="text-align:left;" | |style="text-align:left;" |Chicago |3||0||10.7||.375||.167|||—|||1.3|||0.7|||0|||4.3 |- |style="text-align:left;" | |style="text-align:left;" |Phoenix |26||10||24.4||.435||.429||.667||4.9|||0.7|||0.6|||0.2|||11 |- |style="text-align:left;" | |style="text-align:left;" |L.A Clippers |76|||24|||27|||0x414|||0x382|||0x708|||5|||2|||0x7|||0x4|||11 |- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"| 2007-08 Los Angeles Clippers season |
63 | 51 | 30 | 08 | 413 | 306 | 752 | 5 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 12
|- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"| 2008-09 Los Angeles Clippers season |
10 | 5 | 22 | 00 | 378 | 300 | 618 | 46 | 10 | 30 | 10 | 95
|- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"| 2008-09 New York Knicks season |
36 | 1 | 21 | 50 | 461 | 421 | 806 | 31 | 13 | 60 | 30 | 96
|- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"| 2008-09 Chicago Bulls season |
18 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 400 | 442 | 700 | 23 | 07 | 30 || 00 || 58
|- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"| 2009-10 Dallas Mavericks season |
18 || 1 || 15 || 80 || 462 || 372 || 875 || 23 || 08 || 60 || 10 || 75
|- class=sortbottom ! colspan=2 style=text-align:center;| Career !824 !408 !25 !9 !437 !369 !758 !4 !15 !07 !04 !11 !5
Playoff Performance
|- | style="text-align:left;"|1999 | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 3 || 3 || 20.0 || .444 || .000 || .583 || 4.0 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2000 | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 5 || 0 || 28.4 || .492 || .333 || .824 || 4.8 || 2.0 || 0.2 || 0.8 || 15.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2001 | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 18 || 0 || 26.6 || .448 || .431 || .815 || 4.5 || 1.6 || 0.5 || 0.6 || 11.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2003 | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 6 || 5 || 31.8 || .462 || .571 || .719 || 4.8 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2004 | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 1 || 1 || 22.0 || .400 || .000 || .800 || 5.0 || 3.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 12.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2006 | style="text-align:left;"|Phoenix | 20 || 14 || 31.8 || .491 || .444 || .776 || 6.3 || 1.3 || 0.9 || 0.4 || 15.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2009 | style="text-align:left;"|Chicago | 2 || 0 || 7.5 || .300 || .250 || — || 1.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 3.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Overall | 55 || 23 || 28.1|| .468|| .436|| .772|| 5.1||1.4||0.6||0.5||13.3