Philly Plain Dealer

Thaddeus Young was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2007 when he was just 19 years old, now in 2024 he is an established 17-year veteran who has played for 8 different teams in the NBA. In a recent interview on the 2100 Podcast, Young rejected the idea that his playing career is over although he is not currently on an NBA roster.

When asked about his status in the league Thaddeus Young said:

“I’m enjoying everything. I’ve enjoyed everything that the league has had to offer and (I’m) still enjoying it to this day. Still enjoy playing the game. I’m still working out and training, getting myself ready for a season, even though I’m not on roster right now, but still getting myself ready because, you know, one of these teams might, might say, oh, we need a vet, or we need somebody else. I might get that phone call. 

So I’m always staying in shape and preparing and making sure that I’m doing the things, and it doesn’t hurt to have, you know, everything at my house where I don’t have to leave home.

I’m literally training three, four hours a day, keeping myself in shape, making sure that I’m, you know, when the team calls, I’m ready to go. If this team needs me to come and work out, I’m ready to go. If the team needs me to show up and be ready on that same day, I’ll be ready to go and step in.”

Young also spoke about how he processes the game as a role player, mentioning that he doesn’t need to go out and score 20-25 points per game because he wants to “compliment” other players and help the team. As a Philadelphia 76er, Thaddeus Young averaged 13.7 points per game and 5.5 rebounds. 

Thaddeus Young is not the most outspoken personality in the NBA, but he has been a beloved journeyman throughout his NBA career. He is the consummate professional and a second-generation NBA player, son of Felton Young, and a father of two sons who have NBA aspirations. 

Get to know Thad in a half-hour plus interview on the 2100 Podcast discussing the future of basketball. He’s not retired yet and could be on an NBA roster any minute.