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Former Syracuse forward Etan Thomas to release new book on fatherhood

EtanThomas

Etan Thomas, an NBA veteran and former forward for the Syracuse Orange, is taking on an important topic in his new book: fatherhood.

“Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge” features contributions from celebrities that include rapper and actor Ice Cube, former NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, actor Taye Diggs, and more.

“The importance of parenting is something that men do not talk about,” Thomas, 34, told the Post-Standard. “Women talk about it. But men don’t talk about it.”

“I also thought it was important because young people are bombarded with negative statistics. Where you’ll end up if you don’t have a father in your life,” he continued. “I wanted to show young people that you don’t have to be a negative statistic.”

Thomas played at Syracuse from 1996-2000, averaging 11 points and seven rebounds per game. As a senior, he was named to the Big East All-Defensive team.

He went on to be drafted 12th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2000 NBA draft. Over the course of his professional career he has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Thomas’ book also included an interesting essay from former Georgetown coach John Thompson, who didn’t recruit Thomas out of high school, which, looking back, has been a point of jest for Thomas.

He explained his relationship with Thompson to the Post-Standard:

“I got close to Coach Thompson when I was with the (Washington) Wizards. We always talk about how they didn’t recruit me. My junior year, I had a great game against Georgetown and I went up to John Thompson and I said ‘You could’ve had me.’ He said ‘I know.’ After I got to know him, he and I talked about his special relationship with his father. The way he describes his relationship with his father in the book is really terrific.”

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_