TaShawn Thomas


TaShawn Thomas is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Houston and the University of Oklahoma before playing professionally in Germany, Italy and Israel. Thomas was named the Israeli State Cup MVP in 2019.

College career

A forward from Las Vegas, Nevada, Thomas played three seasons at Houston. As a junior, he averaged 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He opted to transfer to Oklahoma for his senior season. As a senior, Thomas was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a Third Team All-Big 12 selection. He scored in double figures 17 times and had 42 blocked shots, shooting 51.4 percent for the season. In his senior year, he averaged 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Professional career

Mitteldeutscher (2015–2016)

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Thomas played with the Orlando Magic in the Summer League. On July 29, 2015, Thomas signed with the German club Mitteldeutscher BC.

Vanoli Cremona (2016–2017)

On June 26, 2016, Thomas joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On July 9, 2016, Thomas sign with the Italian club Vanoli Cremona. On January 2, 2017, Thomas recorded a career-high 25 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, along with six rebounds and four blocks in an 85–71 win over Varese.

Hapoel Holon (2017–2018)

On July 19, 2017, Thomas signed with the Israeli team Hapoel Holon for the 2017–18 season. Thomas helped Holon to win the 2018 Israeli State Cup, as well as reaching the 2018 Israeli League Final, where they eventually lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 55 games played during the 2017–18 season, Thomas averaged 10.8 points, 5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

Hapoel Jerusalem (2018–2020)

On July 2, 2018, Thomas signed a two-year deal with Hapoel Jerusalem. In September 2018, Thomas was suspended by the Israeli anti-doping agency for three months after he tested positive to Cannabis use during the Israeli League playoffs. On February 14, 2019, Thomas recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, leading Jerusalem to win their fifth Israeli State Cup title after an 82–67 win over Maccabi Rishon LeZion. He was subsequently named the Final MVP. On June 7, 2019, Thomas was named the Israeli League Best Defender.
On June 24, 2019, Thomas signed a two-year contract extension with Jerusalem. On January 7, 2020, Thomas recorded a season-high 23 points without missing a single shot as he went 10 of 10 from the field, along with six rebounds in an 83-74 win over Rasta Vechta. Three days later, he was named the Champions League Game Day 10 MVP.