Sefolosha was born in Vevey, Switzerland to Patrick Sefolosha, a Black South African musician, and Christine Sefolosha (née Beck), a Swiss artist. He speaks French, Italian and English.[2]
Professional career
Early years (2001–2006)
Sefolosha was invited to join the junior Swiss national basketball team, and at 17 he began a professional career with Vevey Riviera Basket, in Switzerland's top domestic league.[2] On a team trip to France, Sefolosha was approached by a French talent scout to play with Élan Chalon in the premier pro league in France.[2]
Sefolosha spent his first year in Chalon-sur-Saône playing with the junior under-21 squad, which traveled alongside the senior club. The following year (2002–03), he earned a rotation spot on the senior club, where he played 30 games and averaged 4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1 assist per game.[2]
The following season, Sefolosha earned a starting spot on the senior team, which he helped lead to a third-place finish in the French league, where his team advanced to the playoffs semifinals. During the season, he averaged 9.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal in 30.7 minutes per game.[2]
Before the start of his fourth season with Élan Chalon, a contract dispute between Sefolosha and the team arose. Sefolosha's agent and the team president could not reach an agreement on a new contract, so Sefolosha signed with Italian team Angelico Biella. "Last summer, I had the chance to re-negotiate my contract with the club. We were supposed to reach an agreement, but when my agent and the president started talking, they couldn't agree on a contract. They wanted to keep me, but at the same time I had this offer from Italy. That's when I decided that the best thing for my career was to play in Biella. Yes, there was a little bit of trouble, but in the end it was OK."[3]
Chicago Bulls (2006–2009)
Sefolosha was taken with the 13th pick of the 2006 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and promptly traded to the Chicago Bulls for the 16th pick (Rodney Carney), and cash considerations.[4] In an article on Bulls.com, Sefolosha was quoted saying "I was certainly surprised (at the draft) when someone came up and said that I was the next to be picked. I thought maybe he had made a mistake or something. But a few minutes later he came back and told me that not only was I going to be picked, but that I was going to be traded to Chicago, which really got me excited."[2]
Bulls head coach Scott Skiles cited Sefolosha's wingspan and past pro basketball experience as reasons why the Bulls were interested in him. "Thabo's got great physical gifts that, frankly, a lot of guys in the league just don't have. He's got tremendous length and has really quick hands, he grabs your attention whenever you watch him play. It's easy to see that he knows what he's doing out there. You can tell he likes to play defense, too. He's eager to get after it."[2]
After the NBA summer leagues finished, ESPN asked several NBA talent scouts and executives to rank the summer league players and Sefolosha scored high. "He excelled at just about everything", reported one of the professionals. "Thabo Sefolosha showed that he's going to be able to step in right away and contribute to the Bulls."[2]
In October 2011, during the 2011 NBA lockout, Sefolosha signed with Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey, but only for Euroleague matches. His deal had an out-clause that allowed him to return to Oklahoma City at the end of the lockout.[6] He played 7 matches with Fenerbahçe Ülker during the 2011–12 Euroleague season.
In 2012, Sefolosha and the Thunder reached the NBA Finals, but were defeated by the Miami Heat.
Sefolosha was a permanent member of the starting five, including in the Thunder's run to the finals. Starting as SG, before James Harden (who came off the bench), he received major playing time mainly due to his defensive abilities.
Atlanta Hawks (2014–2017)
Sefolosha with the Hawks in 2016
On July 15, 2014, Sefolosha was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal, along with rights to Giorgos Printezis, in exchange for the rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis.[7] On January 31, 2015, he was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a strained right calf.[8] On April 9, he was ruled out for the rest of the regular season due to a fractured tibia suffered while being arrested by members of the New York City Police Department.[9]
Utah Jazz (2017–2019)
On July 18, 2017, Sefolosha signed a multi-year deal with the Utah Jazz.[10] On January 12, 2018, in Utah's 99–88 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Sefolosha suffered a right MCL injury.[11] He underwent season-ending surgery five days later.[12] On April 3, 2018, he was suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.[13]
Sefolosha announced his retirement from professional basketball on March 31, 2021.[16][17]
Vevey Riviera Basket (2023–present)
Despite announcing his retirement nearly two years ago, Sefolosha had been reported to have inked a deal with the Swiss team Vevey Riviera Basket,[18] returning to the club where he first played professionally.
On April 8, 2015, Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antić were arrested outside a nightclub in New York City for allegedly interfering with police after Chris Copeland of the Indiana Pacers was stabbed in the abdomen following an argument.[19] During the altercation, the NYPD officers broke Sefolosha's right leg, shutting him down for the rest of the season.[20] He underwent surgery on April 16, to repair a fractured tibia and ligament damage.[21]
The prosecution offered Sefolosha a plea bargain, which would have involved a dismissal of the charges after six months, but Sefolosha refused it on September 9, 2015, even though his attorney, Alex Spiro, urged him to take it.[22] Sefolosha said that he wanted to let the case proceed to trial instead; at the same time, charges against Antić were dropped.[23] Sefolosha's court hearing was set on October 5, 2015.[24] On October 9, a Manhattan jury found him not guilty of all three misdemeanor charges: obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.[25] On October 21, 2015, Sefolosha announced he would be suing the city of New York as well as eight police officers for up to $50 million in damages.[26] On April 9, 2017, it was announced Sefolosha had settled with the NYPD for $4 million, a "substantial portion" of which he donated to Gideon's Promise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating public defenders.[27]
In October 2017, Sefolosha revealed that he saved a woman the previous month from drowning while he and his family were on a rafting trip down the Provo River.[28]
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