“When I first came into the league, the game was a lot more physical. There was a lot more contact, which was allowed. I definitely miss those days. It was just a lot more fun. I think that’s how the game should have always been played.”
In New York, Thomas quickly gained a reputation as a bruiser and a loose canon. Though he was ejected from only six games in seven years, he was criticized in the press for being unable to control his emotions. He says there was never ill-intent behind his trash-talking and hard fouls. Even a reminder that soon-to-be Hall of Famer Reggie Miller called Thomas “a punk” doesn’t make him bristle.
“Great scorer,” he deadpans of Miller, before laughing. “Reggie talked a lot of trash, but he backed it up on the court.... The thing is, I don’t hold grudges. I can beat the crap out of you on the court and we can still go out and get a beer after the game.”
Veteran guard Derek Fisher was around to see the fightin’ side of Thomas, including a storied throw-down with then-Lakers forward Dennis Rodman. “I’m fortunate to play a perimeter position,” Fisher says, his ankles in a tub of ice in the visitors’ locker room at the Rose Garden. “Because not having to bump around with Kurt Thomas every night is probably the reason I’m still in the league 16 years later.”
