The Double Threat: DJ Thomas' Quest for 6th Man and Rookie of the Year

Many players have stood out during the Firebirds’ 2025 quest for the Lillie. There have been plenty of returners–All-Star Dreko Palmer, three-point king Daequon Antoine, study point guard Ahmad Abdullah, sharpshooter Kenny Collins, and many others. However, if you’ve been to a Firebirds game this year, then there are likely two players who stood out to you: the 6’10” Julian Gamble and the 5’8” DJ Thomas.

I touched on Gamble’s story a little while ago; the 6’10” 250-pound center is one of the most difficult matchups in The Basketball League and has an incredible amount of playing experience between his college days at Miami and professional experience overseas. At 35, Gamble is a grisly veteran.

DJ Thomas, however, is quite the opposite.

Young. Short. Fast. He’s the opposite of Gamble, and yet, they impact the game in rather similar ways. Thomas is not just difficult to guard because of his stature and speed, but he’s a defensive ace as well. He makes his size work to his advantage, gambling for steals and utilizing angles other players simply can’t. Thomas' journey to the Firebirds has been nothing short of incredible, as he has to be considered for both the TBL’s Rookie of the Year and 6th Man of the Year Award.

Thomas grew up in Raleigh and began playing basketball at the Boys and Girls Club at the YMCA. He fell in love with the game there and hasn’t stopped playing since. For high school, Thomas attended Broughton, where he spent two years on JV and two years on varsity. “I averaged 19 points per game both years on varsity,” said Thomas. In 2019, he would graduate and sign with JuCo Grayson College in Texas to continue his basketball and educational journey.

The transition to Grayson College wasn’t easy for any player that year. The COVID-19 pandemic seriously hindered what players could do and how much they could work on their games. “It was hard because we had to wear a mask every game, and we couldn’t practice altogether,” said Thomas. “It was hard trying to get everything organized so that everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing. Game time, we just had to buckle down, and everyone had to understand what their role was.”

Despite the adversity, Thomas would become a JuCo star at Grayson. In just his first season, Thomas averaged 27 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds per game on 48% shooting from the field and 39% from three. He also won the Newcomer of the Year Award and earned All-Conference and All-Region recognition. 

Thomas didn’t stop working after one year of success, however. Midway through his sophomore season, he would score his 1,000th career point at Grayson, an impressive milestone for anyone, but especially a sophomore. Thomas would also lead Grayson to their first-ever NJTCAC conference title. On the season, Thomas would average near identical numbers to his freshman year, but on an improved 51% from the field and 46% from three. After his junior year, Thomas finished his JuCo career with over 1500 career points and as JuCo’s #2 leading scorer. After three impressive seasons, Thomas committed to Shaw University, a D1 HBCU in Raleigh.

In the summer before he began playing for Shaw, Thomas played in the Ground Zero Pro AM League and dropped 53 points to lead his team to the championship game. Thomas’ scoring powers weren’t limited to JuCo basketball, and everyone was excited to see what he would do with Shaw.

Thomas would have two seasons of eligibility at Shaw, thanks to an extra COVID year. Thomas didn’t disappoint, as he began making an impact on the court immediately. Midway through his first season, Thomas would deliver on a clutch three-point play that delivered Shaw a win over rival Winston Salem State University. The following year, he would average 14 points per game while earning All-CIAA honors. Even though his college career would come to an end after that impressive season, it was clear his playing days weren’t.    

After graduating, Thomas began looking for opportunities to continue his basketball career. “I went on a tour in London,” said Thomas, “and one of my teammates–Daequon {Antoine}--recommended me to the Firebirds, said it would be a good experience for me. That was my first time hearing about it. I contacted the coaches to see if I could come to training camp and compete for a roster spot.”

Thomas proved that he belonged at Firebirds training camp and ultimately would secure a roster spot at week’s end. While he wasn’t initially trusted with big minutes, he impacted the team whenever he was in the game.

“My role–on the defensive side–is to bring the energy (and hustle),” said Thomas. “Help my team by doing the dirty work.”

It would’ve been easy for Thomas to get buried in the bench, and weeded out like other Firebirds rookies. However, even on a team filled with incredible guards, Thomas’ skillset was unique, something no one else was able to match. Whenever Thomas played, his height didn’t seem like a deficit, but rather, an advantage. In his first-ever Firebirds game against the Savannah Buccaneers, Thomas dropped 17 points off the bench and accumulated 4 steals.

Thomas would score in double figures in 9 of his first 10 games. Against the Buccaneers in early April, Thomas would drop 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in one of his best games of the season. His most impactful performance, however, was likely his matchup against the Capital Seahawks. In a game that went down to the wire, Thomas proved to be the difference maker, dropping 29 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals in the Firebirds’ 121-115 win.

“For me, it’s all about the confidence. Just having the confidence to finish, and understand it doesn’t matter how tall anyone else is. I still have to finish over tall defenders.” 

At this point, Thomas’s goal for the rest of the season is simple: win the Lillie. It’s the goal that every Firebirds player has been locked on since the start of training camp. However, some recognition coming Thomas’s way wouldn’t be a downside. He has to be considered for both the 2025 TBL 6th Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year; he’s averaging 15.6 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game for a team that just finished 18-4 on the season. But whether or not The Basketball League recognizes his talent, opposing players will, as they wonder how a 5’8” guard stole the ball from them and scored an uncontested layup on the other end of the court.