Texas Christian University Development

During the 1994-95 season, Kurt Thomas became just the third player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding in the same year. Recovering from injuries in his first three seasons, Thomas shattered records during his senior year. Thomas led the nation by averaging 28.9 points and 14.6 rebounds per game. He was the Southwest Conference Player of the Year in 1995 and had four 40+ scoring games. At the time of his Hall of Fame induction, Thomas ranked sixth on the Frogs' all-time scoring list (1,512), eighth in rebounds (782) and third in blocked shots (166). After graduating with a degree in psychology, Thomas was drafted by the Miami Heat, where he played for one and half seasons. He then joined the Dallas Mavericks in 1997, but ankle injuries kept him on the injured list. In 1998, Thomas was signed as a free agent by the New York Knicks. During both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Thomas started at center in over 80 games per season. He recorded a team-high 31 double-doubles during the 2001-02 season and had 16 20-point games during 2002-03. Thomas was the recipient of the NBA Community Assist award in June 2004 as well as the "Beyond The Game" Award from the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in December 2001.