Etan Thomas, a former Syracuse University basketball player and NBA star, will discuss his new book “We Matter: Athletes and Activism” as part of the Tanner Lecture series on Monday.

Thomas was on SU’s team from 1996 to 2000 and played in the NBA for 11 years for the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder and Atlanta Hawks. He’s been interested in activism for years.

His new book includes interviews with more than 50 athletes, coaches and commentators in an examination of their personal experiences with activism.

The discussion on Monday in Hendricks Chapel will focus on the current state of activism within the athletic community and the history of activism, Thomas said in an interview with The Daily Orange. The discussion starts at 7 p.m.

Thomas said he hopes to encourage younger activists, especially athletes, to continue in the footsteps of legendary athletes such as Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John Carlos, all of whom were interviewed for the book. Russell, who played for the Boston Celtics during 11 NBA championship runs, participated in the 1963 March on Washington.

Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA champion, has frequently written about politics. Carlos is a former Olympics athlete who participated in 1968 Black Power protest salute.

A wide variety of issues are examined in the piece, including NFL players such as former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem, and police brutality.

“I want athletes to be able to see the power of their voices,” Thomas said.

A common sentiment that came up in reporting for the book was the criticism athletes received for speaking out about contemporary issues, Thomas said.

Most recently, basketball star Lebron James was criticized by television and radio host Laura Ingraham for speaking about politics and President Donald Trump in a recent interview.

James is not the only athlete to experience criticism, Thomas said. Abdul-Jabbar and other past athletes were also criticized for speaking out about issues they care about, he said.

Thomas’s motivation to write the book came from his own desire to discover what has led to the recent resurgence of activism among athletes.

“I really wanted to capture the reason why the whole resurgence happened,” Thomas said. “What were the things that happened to cause athletes to speak out in an unprecedented way?”

Thomas spoke to current athletes including Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook for the book. Anthony helped lead SU to its only NCAA championship during the 2002-03 season.

Police brutality brought about the resurgence of activism in the athletic community, Thomas said. Cases such as Freddie Gray, a man killed by police in Baltimore in 2015, were frequently discussed with current athletes when Thomas was writing the book.

Thomas’ interest in activism can be traced back to high school, when he was a member of the speech and debate team.

“It’s always been passion of mine to discuss these issues,” Thomas said. “So it was an easy transition for me to write this book.”

Thomas said Muhammad Ali has had the biggest influence on his involvement in activism. Ali died in June 2016, but Thomas was able to interview his daughter, he said. He also spoke with Russell, who marched on Washington in 1963 and defended Ali when he refused the Vietnam War’s draft.

“I’ve always admired the courage that they had to stand up for what they believe in,” Thomas said.

Published on February 25, 2018 at 8:59 pm