Fresh off an NCAA Final Four season where he was captain and emotional leader of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, John Thomas was selected by the New York Knicks with the 25th overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He was traded to Boston in preseason and then on to Toronto midway through his rookie year, when he averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He saw a bit more playing time in his second season and averaged 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Raptors.. Thomas was a solid four-year player at Minnesota, starting at center in 97 of 98 games over his final three seasons and played in a total of 124 career games. A presence in the middle, Thomas was known for his defense and rebounding and averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting .496 (349-for-703) from the field. He finished his career ranked ninth in Minnesota history with 65 career blocks. After being named the Gophers' MVP following his junior season, Thomas topped that performance as a senior by averaging a career-high 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds and shooting a career-high .576 from the field. The Knicks tabbed Thomas with the 25th overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft but decided they needed more immediate help, so they traded him to Boston on October 22, 1997 along with Dontae Jones, Walter McCarty, Scott Brooks and a second-round pick for veteran forward Chris Mills. Thomas played in 33 games for the Celtics, then was traded to Toronto on February 18, 1987 along with Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown and Roy Rogers for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones and Zan Tabak. After playing in 21 games for Toronto, Thomas finished his rookie season with averages of 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He played in 39 of 50 games in his second season, making 11 starts, and boosted his averages to 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game while shooting a team-high .577 from the field.

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Logged his first career double-double, with 10 points (4-8 FG, 2-2 FT) and a career-high 11 rebounds, in a 96-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on 5/5 Registered 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT) and 7 rebounds against the Houston Rockets on 3/25 Recorded 13 points (6-9 FG) and 8 rebounds in an 85-81 victory over the New York Knicks on 3/21

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Traded by the Celtics with Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown and Roy Rogers to the Toronto Raptors for Kenny Anderson, Zan Tabak and Popeye Jones on 2/18 Placed on the injured list on 2/15 due to strained right Achilles and Peroneal tendons Recorded 12 points (5-7 FG) and 7 rebounds in a 104-102 victory over the Washington Wizards on 1/28 Posted season-highs of 13 points (6-7 FG) and 8 rebounds in a 97-93 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 1/15 On the injured list from 12/26 to 1/6 due to a strained left groin On the injured list from 11/8 to 11/19, and from 11/29 to 12/13, due to a left biceps contusion Made his NBA debut in a 92-85 win over the Chicago Bulls on 10/31

• Spent one year in Finland and six years in Turkey while his father played professional basketball
• Lists Muhammad Ali as the one person he would most like to meet
• Enjoys video games, music and fishing