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Kenny Thomas (basketball)

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Kenny Thomas
Thomas in 2006
Personal information
Born (1977-07-25) July 25, 1977 (age 47)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeNew Mexico (1995–1999)
NBA draft1999: 1st round, 22nd overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career1999–2010
PositionPower forward / center
Number21, 9
Career history
1999–2002Houston Rockets
2002–2005Philadelphia 76ers
2005–2010Sacramento Kings
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1997 Trapani Team competition

Kenneth Cornelius Thomas (born July 25, 1977) is an American retired professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

High school career

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He attended Austin High School, in El Paso, Texas, for three seasons before moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico to play for Albuquerque High School during his senior season. Averaging 25.2 points and 16.9 rebounds each game, Thomas helped Albuquerque to a 22–3 record and Class 4A state title. Parade named him a boys' basketball All-American in 1995.[1]

College career

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Thomas attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, one of the highest-profile recruits to ever attend the school. He is second on the Lobos' all-time scoring list (1,931 points), career blocks list (239), and career dunks list (114), and leads the school's lists in career rebounds (1,032), freshman scoring (484) and rebounding (256), and personal fouls for a season (118) and career (383). Thomas is one of eight Lobos to be selected as an All-American (1998).[1] Kenny led the Lobos to four consecutive NCAA Tournament first round wins. UNM was an amazing 71–3 in The PIT in Kenny's four years with the Lobos including 41 consecutive wins.

NBA career

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The Houston Rockets selected Thomas as the 22nd pick in the 1999 NBA draft. He led his team in rebounds for the 1999–2000 season, making him one of only two rookies to do so. Thomas was consistently among the team leaders in rebounds and blocked shots before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2002–03 season. He was then named, The "K9".

Thomas was one of only eleven players to average a double-double for the 2003–04 season, and the shortest one at 6-foot, 7-inches.

On February 23, 2005, Thomas was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a deal that sent Chris Webber to Philadelphia. On February 18, 2010, the Kings released Thomas after the trade deadline.[2]

Thomas was invited to the Memphis Grizzlies 2010 pre-season camp, but was waived on October 11.[3]

After basketball

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Personal life

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After basketball Kenny became an entrepreneur and established multiple businesses where he has been under the mentorship of basketball great, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Currently, Kenny is the president and CEO of T3 Productions LLC, a versatile multi-faceted company that engages in various business ventures including, but not limited to television and film production, sports entertainment and management, real estate development, and the PPE industry. Given his tenure in the basketball industry from high school to college and 11 years in the NBA, Kenny is also a strong proponent in the push for name, image, and likeness availability and opportunities for college and pro athletes. As a University of New Mexico alum (“UNM”), Kenny enjoys rooting on their sports teams and is still recognized as one of the most celebrated athletes to ever play at UNM. He was known to attend Lobos Men's basketball games[4] He is an avid golfer and plays in many charitable and private tournaments throughout each year in New Mexico. Kenny has two children and currently resides in Albuquerque, NM.

Basketball tournaments and camps

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Kenny hosts multiple basketball tournaments and camps throughout the year in both New Mexico and California. He is also a member of the AAU basketball circuit.[5]

Charitable work

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Kenny is the founder of the Kenny Thomas Foundation dedicated to helping the community youth experiencing financial hardship by providing them with opportunities through higher education, college scholarships, and helping families in need of assistance move from poverty to self-sufficiency. He is also a member of several nonprofit boards including the ALS New Mexico Chapter board, the African American Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, and The University of New Mexico Black Alumni Chapter.[5]

NBA career statistics

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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
 *  Led the league

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–00 Houston 72 29 25.0 .399 .262 .660 6.1 1.6 .8 .3 8.3
2000–01 Houston 74 21 24.6 .443 .272 .722 5.6 1.0 .5 .6 7.1
2001–02 Houston 72 71 34.5 .478 .000 .664 7.2 1.9 1.2 .9 14.1
2002–03 Houston 20 14 29.3 .432 .000 .733 6.9 2.0 .8 .3 9.9
2002–03 Philadelphia 46 28 30.3 .482 .000 .750 8.5 1.6 1.0 .5 10.2
2003–04 Philadelphia 74 72 36.5 .469 .200 .752 10.1 1.5 1.1 .4 13.6
2004–05 Philadelphia 47 43 28.6 .456 .250 .798 6.6 1.6 .9 .1 11.3
2004–05 Sacramento 26 15 31.7 .492 .000 .722 8.7 2.9 1.0 .4 14.5
2005–06 Sacramento 82* 55 28.0 .505 .000 .676 7.5 2.0 .9 .5 9.1
2006–07 Sacramento 62 53 22.8 .482 .000 .513 6.1 1.2 .7 .3 5.3
2007–08 Sacramento 23 3 12.2 .421 .000 .000 2.7 .6 .3 .0 1.4
2008–09 Sacramento 8 0 7.8 .375 .000 .000 1.9 .1 .8 .1 .8
2009-10 Sacramento 26 2 12.0 .486 .000 .583 3.3 .6 .4 .4 1.6
Career 632 406 27.4 .465 .244 .699 6.9 1.5 .8 .4 9.3

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003 Philadelphia 12 12 32.4 .535 .000 .655 9.3 .9 .7 .4 10.6
2005 Sacramento 5 5 30.6 .511 .000 .700 8.8 2.4 .8 .4 12.0
2006 Sacramento 6 6 24.7 .542 .000 .692 4.5 1.3 .8 .0 5.8
Career 23 23 30.0 .529 .000 .677 8.0 1.3 .7 .3 9.7

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kenny Thomas Career Biography". New Mexico Lobos. September 8, 1999. Archived from the original on January 10, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  2. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (February 18, 2010). "Kings cut Thomas after trade deadline". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "Transactions: 2010-11 Season". NBA. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  4. ^ Barker, Larry (July 13, 2017). ""Suite" Surprise: UNM reveals $432K uncollected fees from business, individuals".
  5. ^ a b "Kenny Thomas". Kenny Thomas.
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