From NBA.com: "Thomas helped build a last-place Detroit Pistons team into back-to-back NBA champions in the late 1980s. Thomas' sunny smile belied an inner toughness that made him a key member of a scrappy, physical group of players dubbed the "Bad Boys" of Detroit... Thomas refused to let his height limit what he could do on the court. He was a dangerous shooter from any spot on the floor, a smart passer and a smooth, clever playmaker. He was also known for his full-speed, acrobatic drives into the teeth of the toughest and tallest frontcourtmen. Thomas took whatever defenses gave him, whether it was a three-pointer, the baseline, the lane or an alley-oop opportunity. He combined intelligence, court savvy and physical gifts to attain true NBA superstardom. Off the court, Thomas was a tireless charity worker known for his sincerity and compassion..."

From Wikipedia.com: He left Indiana University for the National Basketball Association in 1981, after a sophomore year in which he led the Hoosiers to the NCAA national title; he earned a bachelor's degree from IU in criminal justice several years later, as he promised his mother in writing that he would when he left college early to enter the NBA draft.

From ESPN.com (Facts and Tidbits): # After leaving Indiana early, Thomas' mother made him promise in writing he would finish his degree. He did, earning a degree in criminal justice in 1988.  # Shortly after arriving in Detroit, Thomas had a falling out with coach Scotty Robertson, who wanted Thomas to be more of a passer and defender than a scorer.  # Thomas scored a career-high 47 points against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 13, 1983.  # In the fifth and deciding game of the first round of the 1984 Eastern Conference playoffs, Thomas scored 16 points in the last 94 seconds of the fourth quarter to rally Detroit to force overtime. However, the Knicks beat the Pistons, 127-123, in the extra session.  # Twice within a week in February 1985, Thomas had 25 assists, against the Washington Bullets and Dallas Mavericks.  # Although Thomas denied there was a rift between him and Michael Jordan, their relationship was hardly cordial. At the 1985 All-Star Game, Thomas passed Jordan the ball only twice. "There was no plot," Thomas said. "It was Michael's first All-Star Game and you know what? He just didn't play well."  # When the Dream Team was announced in 1991, there was speculation that Jordan got his payback when Thomas was left off the team.  # Thomas on Jordan: "I never knew him, he never knew me. Not that we didn't like each other, but I played for Detroit and he played for the Bulls. I went home and was with my family and he did the same."  # In 1986, Thomas organized a "No Crime Day" in Detroit. Venturing into some of the city's tough neighborhoods, he asked drug dealers and gang members to give crime a day off.  # Thomas received a two-game suspension in 1989 for retaliating from a Bill Cartwright elbow by punching the Chicago Bulls center in the head. Thomas broke his left hand.  # In 1989, Thomas was listed as one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People."  # Against the Lakers in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, Thomas scored 14 points in less than five minutes of the third quarter before spraining an ankle. After sitting out briefly, he returned and scored 11 more points in the period to give him 25, a Finals record for most points in a period. He finished the game with 43. # When the Pistons were eliminated in a four-game sweep by the Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference final, Thomas organized a walkout in which the Pistons refused to shake hands with the winners. # In November 1991, two months after the Dream Team was announced, the Bulls' Scottie Pippen labeled Thomas a cheap-shot artist and said he wouldn't play on the Olympic team if Thomas was one of the two players added to fill out the squad.  # In December 1991, Thomas took a blow from Utah's Karl Malone that required 40 stitches over his left eye. He had vision problems and headaches for two weeks, but missed only three games. # Some Pistons believe Malone was paying Thomas back for scoring 44 points against teammate and fellow Dream Team member John Stockton in their previous meeting. Thomas said he belonged on the Olympic Team, and the inference was that it was over Stockton.  # Thomas was head of the NBA Players' Association for his final six seasons in the league.