LaToya Thomas
From Hoopedia
LaToya Monique Thomas (born July 6, 1981 in Greenville, Mississippi) is a professional basketball player. She currently plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
College
Thomas was a standout four-year starter at Mississippi State University.
LaToya Thomas was the eighth freshman in the 25-year history of Kodak All-America honors to earn the award and first Lady Bulldog to be named a Kodak All-American. She went on to become just the sixth player in women’s basketball history to be a four-time Kodak All-American. She left her mark in the SEC as well, becoming the first player in the conference to lead the league in scoring all four years of her career. Thomas was a three time finalist for the Naismith Award and she was also a four-time first team all-SEC and AP all-SEC selection
Thomas is the all-time leading scorer at Mississippi State for both men and women with 2,981 career points. She holds the Lady Bulldog records for field goals made, field goals attempted, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted, free throw percentage, rebounds and blocked shots.
In addition to her numerous all-America honors, Thomas was named the Senior CLASS Award winner, 2003 Mississippi Amateur Athlete of the Year and 2003 SEC Female Athlete of the Year. Upon graduation, she became the first athlete from the state of Mississippi to be taken as a top pick in a professional draft, going No. 1 to the Cleveland Rockers in the 2003 WNBA Draft.
WNBA Career
Thomas is in her fifth season in the WNBA and her first with the Los Angeles Sparks. She was drafted by the Cleveland Rockers with the #1 overall pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft. She was selected #3 overall in the 2004 Dispersal draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars, for whom she played from 2004-2006. She had six 20-plus point games in her first season with the Silver Stars. During her first WNBA season, she became the Rockers single-season rookie leader in rebounding with 164, ranked second on the Rockers single-season rookie scoring list with 347 points. She started all three playoff games for the Rockers in 2003 vs. Detroit, averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per game.
