WASHINGTON (AP) -Etan Thomas is a strong man with strong opinions, a politically active poet with an awesome set of dreadlocks. Throughout his NBA career, there was never a reason to question his desire, his passion, his heart.
So it was both humbling and ironic a year ago when, on the eve of training camp, doctors informed the Washington Wizards center that he needed open-heart surgery. As soon as possible.
“When they told me, I was kind of in disbelief,” Thomas said. “Because, like, I feel fine. I was just working out the day before.”
Thomas’ strength was again evident Tuesday by the mere fact that he was on the Wizards practice court, pushing teammates in the paint and drawing a foul while making a layup. On Wednesday, he play his first regular season game since the surgery, the starting center as Washington opens at home against the New Jersey Nets.
“That just shows the type of person Etan is,” point guard Antonio Daniels said. “He’s not a quitter.”
rt of heart procedure because of a heart murmur he first experienced in middle school, but he thought it wouldn’t be needed until he was much older. Instead, doctors found a severe problem – a leaking aortic valve – while he was still in the prime of his athletic life, when he was 29 and a valued contributor to the Wizards.
The leaky valve was replaced during a 4 1/2-hour operation at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Thomas’ heart was fine in no time, but the recovery would take a while. The operation saps strength from the entire body.
“It started with baby steps, like walking,” Thomas said. “In the hospital, taking a little walk around this little track that they have where everybody’s walking. Walking around maybe twice – and I was exhausted for the day. Not tired, but wiped out.
“I was kind of one of the younger people, and I would see older people doing the walking, too, and they would be whizzing by me and stuff like that. I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I’m doing bad.’ But they tell me, ‘Oh, it’ll get better.’ One lady was reading a book and walking all fast, and she was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re just starting out.’ I knew it would get better. I just had a long way to go.”
c root in July 2005 and was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in less than a year.
The advice was always the same: The most difficult part of the recovery had nothing to do with heart; it would be the healing of the sternum, the breastbone that has to be broken in order to perform the surgery.
So even after Thomas had gone from walking to running to dribbling to shooting, there was still the matter of withstanding the rigors of basketball. He received clearance to start practicing with the Wizards in February, but at the very first workout he took a painful blow to the chest. The comeback would have to wait.
“Last spring, I was little more anxious than I was ready to come back,” Thomas said. “And so I had to be patient. It’s hard to be patient, but your body will tell you if you’re ready. I’m glad I did wait, because now I feel great. I’ve taken a lot of hard shots, and I’m good.”
Indeed, Thomas was full go from the first day of training camp. Coach Eddie Jordan said after a few practices that Thomas’ strength and explosiveness were back, and that the 6-foot-10 center was “even more physical” was before.
“He’s a monster out there,” Jordan said. “And that’s what we need, that sort of a presence. It’s short of a miracle where he’s been and where he is. Look at him – he’s starting, so it’s a credit to him that he had a great camp and he’s improved every game and every day.”
is the longest serving Wizards player on the roster, having joined the team in a trade in February 2001. Well known locally as a community and peace activist, he released a book of poems titled “More Than An Athlete” in 2005, and poetry became an outlet to express his feelings and frustrations during his long recovery.
“I’ve sailed past their storm, sworn never to be discouraged by those who mean me nothing but harm,” he wrote in “Haters, part II,” an emotional poem that takes issue with reporters who wrote stories that expressed doubt as to whether he would play again.
“The first month I couldn’t really move,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t lift anymore than 5 pounds. I really had to start from scratch, so I had a lot of time to write and read. There’s only so much TV you can watch.”
Thomas’ return has met with a few wrinkles in the plot. Brendan Haywood, Thomas’ longtime Wizards rival for the starting center job, tore a ligament in his right wrist early in training camp and will miss most – if not all – of the season.
Suddenly, Thomas was again the No. 1 center, but he had to withstand a strong push from first-round pick JaVale McGee. Jordan waited until the final days of preseason to announce that Thomas would indeed be the starter.
nal and veteran out there? And it was Etan,” Jordan said.
Thomas will wear a pad underneath his jersey as a precaution. Turiaf, now with the Phoenix Suns, still wears one, too, even though he’s long past needing one for medical reasons. Thomas and Turiaf spoke again Monday night, two NBA players comparing notes on their unique medical histories.
“It’s more of a comfort thing,” Thomas said of the pad, “kind of like when you see guys wearing a knee brace and they had something on their knee a long time ago.”
So Thomas is ready to go. The push-and-shove of the first game of the season will mean something extra this year for No. 36.
“I had an appreciation for the game before,” Thomas said. “But when you go through something like this, it’s on a whole different level. I’m thankful. I’m really blessed beyond what I can even say.”
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