Matt Thomas

Who is Matt Thomas?

Matt Thomas is an American-born professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. Thomas had a successful professional career in Europe before making his NBA League debut in 2019.

Despite having to forsake his dream of playing in the NBA after failing to have a significant collegiate career, Matt created another opportunity by demonstrating his skills in Europe.

He was the 2019 EuroCup Championship winner.

However, Thomas has yet to demonstrate his magic in the NBA.

He has already played four seasons in the American basketball league, but he has yet to have a noteworthy season.

Now that he has limited time and opportunity, his fans can only hope that he can develop and prevent his career from ending prematurely.

This article will delve into his life and work in further depth.

But first, some background information on Matt.

Childhood & Family

Matt Thomas was born on August 4, 1994, in Decatur, Illinois, to parents Greg and Martha Thomas.

He also has a sister named Josie Thomas and a big brother named Tony.

Greg, his father, died by suicide when he was nine years old.

He never paid attention to grooming his three young children because he was a persistent alcoholic and drug user.

Martha was left alone after his death at the age of 45, but she did not give up.

Even when her spouse was around, he was unhelpful.

As a result, she worked hard and supplied for her family.

Matt was only in fifth grade at the time, so he couldn’t help her with her homework because he had to go to school.

Martha had no choice but to do things alone because his older brother was not even in high school.

But, despite her difficult circumstances, Martha never gave up hope, and as a result of her determination back then, they are all now prospering in the careers they selected as children.

Matt has been athletic and passionate about sports since he was five years old.

He frequently practiced games in their backyard, and Martha provided him with all of the necessary equipment.

Thomas gradually devoted his focus totally to basketball and improved his talents.

Martha was a gifted athlete, so she assisted and witnessed his development.

Similarly, his older brother, Tony, was a football fan who participated in high school games.

He, however, never followed a sporting career. Josie, his younger sister, is also a talented ballet dancer.

High School Basketball Career

Matt Thomas attended Onalaska High School in Wisconsin and competed in high school basketball tournaments.

Matt’s talent was well known in the small community where he grew up, and he never let them down.

In his junior year, Matt played a critical part in bringing his team to the Division II state championship.

That season, he averaged 21.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, which inspired him to grow even more the following season.

Thomas ended his senior season with an average of 28.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, as projected.

During his four-year career at Onalaska, he scored over 2000 points.

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College Life

Thomas attended Iowa State University in Ames after graduating from high school and played collegiate basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones.

Because he had only recently joined the squad as one of the greatest high school prospects, the team trusted him to start nearly half of the games that season.

His performance, however, was underwhelming, as he only averaged 5.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

As a result, even though he played in all of the matches, the team limited his playing time, and he only played 15.3 minutes in his sophomore season.

He did, however, show significant improvement in his last two seasons after receiving more opportunities when Iowa State’s guard Naz Long was injured.

Matt averaged 12.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a senior.

Professional Development

Matt Thoms was not selected in the 2017 NBA Draft.

There were many greater college season performances than him that season, thus it was clear from the start that no NBA teams would pick him.

Following that episode, Thomas played in the 2017 NBA summer league for the Los Angeles Lakers.

He had some outstanding games for the Lakers before signing with the Monbus Obradoiro to play in the Spanish Liga ACB on August 29, 2017.

Following his time with the Obradoiro, he moved on to another Spanish club, Valencia Basket, for the upcoming season.

With Valencia, he averaged 12.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game and was instrumental in the team’s EuroCup championship success in 2019.

Participating in NBA games

Matt was signed by the Toronto Raptors on July 19, 2019, and made his NBA debut on October 26, 2019, against the Chicago Bulls.

In the game, which they won 108-84, he had six points and three rebounds.

However, Matt had to miss numerous games due to an injury to his finger, and after he recovered, the organization assigned him to the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League.

In his first NBA season, he appeared in 41 games, averaging 4.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Matt is currently a member of the Chicago Bulls, although his play since his comeback to the American basketball league has been unimpressive.

Earnings and Net Worth

Matt Thomas, an American shooting guard from Wisconsin, has a net worth of between $1 million and $5 million.

However, some Internet sites claim it is less than $1 million.

Because he did not make it immediately to the NBA, he had to spend a couple of years in the Spanish Liga ACB, where the average annual wage ranges from $65k to $100k.

So, despite the fact that the pay was minimal, he had a terrific time there.

Matt eventually signed a three-year, $4.1 million contract with the NBA club Toronto Raptors in 2019.

That was his most expensive contract, and he earned nearly $1 million from it in a single season.

For his debut season, the Raptors paid him approximately $850k.

Despite his poor performance the next season, he received $966k from the Raptors.

He temporarily played with the Utah Jazz in the 2020-21 season after almost two consecutive mediocre seasons, for which they promised him roughly half a million dollars.

Matt is presently playing with the Chicago Bulls after signing a one-year contract extension with the team in 2021.

He was paid $1.6 million for his appearance with the Bulls last season.

Matt has earned nearly $4 million over his NBA career.

Relationship

Matt and Paxton Elrod have been dating since 2020.

Elrod mostly works as a television personality and is now the host of a program at Jomboy Media.

She was formerly employed as a media consultant at Asurion.

Paxton is originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and she received her higher education at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

She worked as an entertainment reporter for UT Today after graduating from the university with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism.

She has since worked for a variety of famous media outlets, including ESPN and Fox Sports Arizona.

While studying in Tennessee, she was a member of the Volunteer Team that recruited new students for her university’s football program.

It is uncertain where Matt initially met Paxton, but it is simple to see how they became acquainted given their shared love for athletics.

Although Elrod did not participate in sports, she enjoyed watching basketball and football games.

Elrod has frequently visited the court to observe and encourage Matt since he began playing in the NBA.

The two are genuinely in love and prefer to travel and enjoy themselves together.

Matt was previously in a relationship with his university friend, Emily Sudlow, before beginning his romance with Paxton.

Height, Weight, and Age

Matt Thomas will be 28 years old in 2022.

Similarly, Thomas is 1.91 meters (6 feet 3 inches) tall and weighs approximately 190 pounds (86 kg).

Also, read

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Battle of the tops: Bucks vs Nets

Social Media:

@mattthomas 21

@Theiceman 21 on Twitter

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