Etan Thomas

Etan Thomas is a former professional basketball player who played for the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks in his 11-year career in the National Basketball Association. He is also a published poet, freelance writer, activist, and motivational speaker, as well as a co-host of Centers of Attention, a sports talk show on ESPN Radio Syracuse.

Thomas has been the personification of “The Activist Athlete," defying the stereotype of the apolitical athlete, planting his roots in his formidable literary career, passion for mentoring and civic engagement.

Born in Harlem, New York and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thomas’ childhood was surrounded by books on the civil rights movement, politics and the 1960s. He was greatly influenced by his schoolteacher mother, who instilled in her two sons to think critically and use their platform to make a difference.

Thomas is the author of numerous books including "Police Brutality and White Supremacy: The Fight Against American Traditions"; "We Matter: Athletes And Activism,” which was listed as one of the top ten best activism books of all time by Book Authority; the poem collection "More Than an Athlete"; and "Fatherhood: Rising To The Ultimate Challenge," which kickstarted a national conversation about fatherhood.

Thomas approaches his work fearlessly. Never afraid to voice his opinions, he was honored for social justice advocacy as the recipient of the 2010 National Basketball Players Association Community Contribution Award and the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation, Inc. Legacy Award.

Thomas is a senior writer for basketballnews.com and the host of The Rematch. He also writes for The Guardian and has previously written for The Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN, ESPN, Hoopshype.com and slamonline. He can frequently be seen on MSNBC as a special correspondent for “hot topics” and he co-hosts a weekly local radio show on WPFW 89.3FM, The Collision, where sports and politics collide.