Ex-Cat Sam Thomas knew early that 'basketball is not everything'; retires with no regrets

Less than 24 hours earlier, Sam Thomas had announced to the world on social media that she had retired from playing basketball.

She was happy. No regrets, no second, third or even fourth thoughts. She was, in a word, content.

Thomas, who was one of the foundational pieces of Arizona’s rebuild, had just wrapped up a six-year run that any young women who play basketball dream of having — WNIT champ, runner-up for the national championship, one of the best college defenders in the nation and one of the overall best players in the Pac-12.

She followed that up by playing with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA in the 2022 season and last fall played overseas in Sardinia, Italy.

Thomas is someone who truly lived basketball. Heck, she was in the gym the day after the WNIT title game and right after that 2021 NCAA run. For more than 20 years, Thomas was either training or playing games, so it seemed almost unfathomable — even to her — that she could just “put the ball down.”

“That’s what I was worried about too,” Thomas, 24, said in a conversation Monday night with the Star.

“I was like, ‘OK, am I ever going to be able to put the ball down besides, gosh forbid, there’s a season-ending injury or my body just won’t let me do it anymore?’ I’m like, ‘How am I going to get away from this?’ And when I put that ball down, I did not pick it up and I did not miss it at all. I’m like, ‘This feels amazing.’ That’s when I was like, ‘I don’t miss that part.’

“I still work out. I love working out. I love the community aspect of basketball. But the actual basketball itself, I think it was my time.”

That’s not to say it wasn’t “weird,” but for Thomas it was more of relief knowing she made the right decision at the right time to stop playing the game that she loves.

Thomas does have a job, and it is basketball related — just on the other side of things. She works in client servicing for LIFT Sports Management. The role is mainly client relations — making sure the basketball players are happy with everything. Some of the clients include NBAers Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero, as well as soon-to-be professional KJ Lewis.

She also pitches in with practices for her dad’s team at Red Rocks Academy — whether it’s rebounding or keeping stats. Her dad, Derek, was her first coach. She will even play a little H-O-R-S-E or P-I-G with the guys after practice just for fun.

For now, Thomas wants to take advantage of opportunities in men’s sports for young Black females. She wants to learn about all different aspects of the business from the non-playing side and make connections outside of Tucson. But she can never stray too far from Tucson.

“I know in the bottom of my heart I’m going to end up back at the U of A as at some point,” Thomas said. “I don’t know when, but I know that I’m going to be back there because I just love it so much.”

The outpouring from fans, former teammates and extended family has been a little overwhelming. She has taken time to read each message, and the one thing that stands out is how so many are about how Thomas is a great basketball player but “even a better person,” she said.

The player who smiled through winning only six games during her freshman year at Arizona and waved to the fans after the Wildcats had a heartbreaking loss — just missing taking home the national championship in San Antonio — has always embodied what it means to be a team player.

Thomas has always meant more to Arizona fans than just her swarming defense, big blocks and sweet swishes from beyond the 3-point line.

“I’m just really grateful to have that and to know that I’ll be remembered for more than just my basketball skills,” Thomas said.

Beyond the court

This wasn’t a decision that Thomas took lightly. She had been thinking about it for a while.

It goes back much further than one might think.

Her parents, Julie and Derek, instilled in her and her siblings — Bailey, Jade and Shane — early on that “basketball is not everything.”

That’s why after that freshman year when Thomas admittedly stayed in her room and watched Netflix all the time, she started thinking: “What can I do to help better myself?”

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She knew that as a student-athlete it would be a little harder to build her résumé with all that time spent practicing and playing in games home and away.

Thomas sought out opportunities such as getting involved in UA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee — eventually becoming president — took an even bigger role in community involvement, spoke on a panel in Washington, D.C., and was an intern in UA’s sports communications group, as well as with Nike.

She also scored high on the academic side.

After winning the Elite 90 Award for academics, Thomas said, “I’ve never considered myself a smarty-pants or anything like that.”

Well, you be the judge.

She graduated in three years, earned her master’s (educational leadership), was a Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was the first UA women’s basketball player to be a multiple Academic All-American and made the Pac-12 honor roll — twice.

She also won Pac-12’s Tom Hansen Medal for top female senior athlete and won the 2022 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup for most outstanding role model.

Thomas is the first to say that she had plenty of help getting out of her comfort zone since her days as a shy freshman — from UA coach Adia Barnes “helping me realize the impact and power that I can have with the platform that we are on as college athletes” to former UA teammate Dominique McBryde pushing her to graduate early and go for that Nike internship to all the staff — academic counselors and others at Arizona.

WNBA calls

While most young girls who play basketball at a high level dream of playing professionally in the WNBA, Thomas always thought that once she graduated from Arizona, it would mean stepping into the real world and getting a job. In fact, Nike offered her a job after her first senior year — after the title run — that she turned down for one more year of being a Wildcat.

Once Thomas finished up her fifth year, she fully expected that she would be getting a job. Then she was invited to the Phoenix Mercury’s training camp with help from Barnes and Diana Taurasi. Thomas made the team — one of the few women in WNBA history who made a squad from a training-camp invite.

With only 144 spots on rosters and a tight salary cap, most teams don’t carry the full limit. Making the team was a long shot, but with everything that Thomas brought (elite defensive skills, 3-point shooting) as well as the intangibles (understanding a pro-style system after playing in one for five seasons at UA, knowing what everyone is supposed to do on the court and being a good teammate) it was easy to see why Thomas was a good fit for the Mercury.

From there, Thomas just took it one step at a time. She enjoyed her rookie season and went overseas.

The decision

That’s when she started to think about retiring. It was difficult being away from family for seven months. She missed birthdays, football season (Thomas is a big Kansas City fan as her grandfather — and Hall of Famer — Emmitt Thomas played and coached for the Chiefs) and her dog, Proxy.

Thomas arrived in Phoenix early for training camp. “I felt like I was playing my best,” she said.

She didn’t make the Mercury and thought that might be the sign she needed as the only thing that kept her going overseas was knowing she was getting film for WNBA teams to see her performances — in the EuroCup she averaged 10.7 points, 2.5 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes per game, shooting 62% from the field.

Thomas decided to stay ready to be called into hardship duty during the season— signing short contracts when Mercury players got injured. On June 20 she got the call. It would only be one game, but she knew her playing career was over.

“I had this feeling in me like it was really fun because this was my last hurrah,” Thomas said. “I knew in that moment I was going to be done. After that I pretty much did not touch a basketball.”

Thomas waited to make it official. Although she didn’t think she was going to waver, she wanted to make sure. Once she was sure, there was one last thing Thomas had to do.

“Of course, when I made my decision, I needed my dad’s approval,” she said. “ ‘Is it OK that I stop playing basketball?’ He was totally fine with it.”