Etan Thomas, Ex-NBA Player on Michael Brown, Ferguson Police

Etan Thomas is More Than An Athlete. He’s been called a “gentle giant.” A “rebounder with a cause.” “The Poet”.  Thomas defies the stereotype of the apolitical athlete, and plants his roots in his budding literary career with the conviction of a Bill Russell, and poetic finesse of Muhammad Ali. Born in Harlem and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thomas’ childhood was surrounded by books on the civil rights movement, politics and the 1960′s. He was greatly influenced by his mother and school teacher, Deborah Thomas.

In 2005 he released a collection of poems called More Than An Athlete; In January 2013 he released Voices Of The Future a collection of poems and essays from young writers on topics such as Racism, Trayvon Martin, President Obama, Gun Violence, Aids etc. On May of 2012 he released Fatherhood (Rising To The Ultimate Challenge) and his writings have appeared in CNN, ESPN, The Washington Post, Huff Post, Hoopshype.com and slamonline, and he co-hosts the radio program "The Collision: Sports and Politics with Etan Thomas & Dave Zirin. Website etanthomas.com Twitter @etanthomas36