TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Former Wildcat women's basketball captain Sam Thomas announced Sunday she is retiring from basketball.
"After 20+ years, I have finally decided to hang up my shoes and step away from the game," Thomas wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "I have made some the best memories of my life playing this sport. I am so grateful for all the support and love from all my friends, fans, coaches, and family."
— Sam Thomas (@s_thomas14) September 4, 2023
The Las Vegas native was a leader for Arizona, playing in a school-record 154 games over five seasons with the Wildcats. She averaged nine points and four rebounds per game during her college career.
In program history, Thomas finished her career with top-10 career rankings in the following categories: scoring (1,382), made three-point field goals (219), three-point field goal percentage (37.18), blocks (198) and steals (264).
She was named the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2021, a member of the CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American Team in 2021 and 2022, and the 2018 Arizona Athletics Female Freshman of the Year.
Thomas played in 22 games for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury during the 2022 season. She appeared in one game this year before the team released her in June.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
