CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas of Baton Rouge and LSU has been named the CDW/Blackberry Bulls Community Player of the Year. Thomas received the award during a pre-game ceremony before Wednesday’s game vs. the Toronto Raptors.
Thomas led the team in community appearances for the past two seasons. This season, he hosted a back-to-school rally to donate school supplies to local students in Englewood, participated in a holiday party for Chicago Housing Authority children at the Berto Center, helped the Bulls and Tyson Foods donate 90,000 lbs. of poultry to homeless shelters in Chicago and attended the grand opening of the Bulls Green Reading & Technology Corner at Pope John Paul II Catholic School.
Moreover, throughout the season, Thomas visited local teens from the New Directions Group Home and treated 15 of the teens to a holiday shopping spree at Best Buy.
In 2007, Tyrus Thomas announced the establishment of the Tyrus Thomas Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in the Chicagoland area as well as his home state of Louisiana.
His philanthropic efforts were also recognized by the Bulls, when he was the recipient of the Charles Lubin Memorial Award. This award, named after a Bulls’ investor, is given to a player who demonstrates outstanding dedication to improving the community.