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. After being signed by New York as a free agent, he played in all 50 games for the Knicks in 1998-99, making 44 starts at power forward, and averaged 8.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg.
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 in 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 February 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. Thomas signed with New York as a free agent on January 22, 1999 and stayed free of injuries, playing in all 50 games for the Knicks in 1998-99 and making 44 starts at power forward. He ranked third on the team in rebounding and field goal percentage, fourth in steals and fifth in scoring.
1999-2000 NOTES
Thomas grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in a 74-70 loss in Philadelphia on Nov. 30. He matched his career-high of 20 points (10-14 FG) in a 107-82 victory over Dallas on Nov. 29, and totaled 18 points and 9 rebounds in a 100-95 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 23. He tallied 14 points and 8 rebounds in an 86-79 victory in Golden State on Nov. 20, and scored 13 points and pulled down 11 boards in a 111-101 OT win over Milwaukee on Nov. 8.
1998-99 NOTES
After two injury-plagued seasons, Thomas managed to stay healthy and played in all 50 games for the Knicks, making 44 starts at power forward. Often in foul trouble, he averaged 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.90 steals in 23.6 minutes per game and shot .462 from the field and .611 from the free throw line. He was third on the team in rebounding and field goal accuracy, fourth in steals and fifth in scoring. He led the Knicks in rebounds six times and scoring twice. He scored in double figures 14 times and had 10 rebounds five times, resulting in three double-doubles: 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Clippers on March 16, 13 points and 11 rebounds at Detroit on April 16, and 14 points and 11 rebounds at Atlanta on April 28.
Thomas scored a season-high 20 points against Miami in the season finale on May 5 and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds twice, at Miami on March 2 and against the Clippers on March 16. In a big defensive effort, he limited Miami's Alonzo Mourning to two fourth-quarter points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Knicks came from behind to beat the Heat 82-80 on April 25. Thomas played in all 20 playoff games for New York, 12 as a starter and eight off the bench. He averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was third on the team in rebounding. He shot just .381 from the field, however.
Thomas scored 10-or-more points in 14 games, grabbed double-figure rebounds in 5 games and logged 3 double-doubles. He totaled season-high 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-4 FT) and 4 rebounds in a 101-88 victory over the Miami Heat on May 5, and posted 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks on April 28. He registered a game-high 18 points (8-13 FG) and 5 rebounds in an 91-72 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on April 13, and recorded team-highs of 17 points (8-14 FG) and 9 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets on April 7. Thomas totaled 17 points, on 8-of-11 field-goal shooting, and 6 rebounds against the Orlando Magic on March 18, and posted 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, for his first double-double with the Knicks, in a 113-89 win over the L.A. Clippers on March 16. He registered 17 points (7-12 FG) and 8 rebounds in a 98-86 victory over the Washington Wizards on March 11, and recorded 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-3 FT), 5 rebounds and 3 steals in a 79-63 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 21.
1997-98 NOTES
Thomas did not dress for the first two games of the season, then appeared in five games before tests on Nov. 14 showed that he had re-fractured his right ankle. He went back on the injured list on Nov. 24 and sat out the final 75 games of the season.
When Coach Don Nelson learned he'd be out for the year, he named Thomas an assistant coach for the Mavericks. That made him, at 25, the youngest assistant coach in the league. In his five games, Thomas averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, netting a season-high 13 points and grabbing a season-high seven rebounds against the Lakers on November 11.
1996-97 NOTES
Thomas' second season was a disappointment as ankle injuries limited him to just 18 games. However, in midseason he was traded to his hometown of Dallas along with Sasha Danilovic and Martin Muursepp in the deal that brought Jamal Mashburn to Miami.
Thomas started the first nine games of the season for Miami and was averaging 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20.9 minutes when he went on the injured list on Nov. 19 following surgery in which screws were inserted to repair a stress fracture in his right ankle. He came back and played in nine more games as a reserve before returning to the injured list because of a right ankle fracture suffered on Jan. 24. He underwent surgery on Feb. 4. Ten days later he was traded to Dallas, but he never saw action for the Mavericks because of the ankle surgery.
Thomas finished the season with averages of 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game in his 18 appearances. His best game of the season came on Nov. 9 at Dallas, when he posted season highs of 18 points and 19 rebounds for Miami in a 91-84 win over the Mavericks.
1995-96 NOTES
Thomas came on strong in the second half of his rookie season, when he took over for the traded Kevin Willis as Miami's starting power forward. He averaged a solid 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game over 27 games as a starter following the trade of Willis. For the season he averaged 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game in 74 games, including 42 starts.
After seeing limited action over the first month of the season, Thomas demanded attention in his first start at Sacramento on Dec. 10. He scored 29 points on 11-for-21 from the field and 7-for-9 from the line and grabbed 15 rebounds. His points and rebounds proved to be his highs for the season. When he came back with 20 points and 10 rebounds at Golden State two nights later, the Heat realized their use of a first-round pick had not been wasted. Thomas went on to score in double figures in 11 of 12 games in his best scoring stretch of the season.
As a starter following the trade of Willis, the rookie had several other noteworthy games, including 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 108-101 win over Philadelphia on Feb. 25; 22 points and 10 rebounds in 125-118 victory at Dallas on March 12; and 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 121-97 win at Houston on March 16. He started all three playoff games against Chicago and averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game. Thomas appeared in the Schick Rookie Game over All-Star Weekend and scored nine points.
