Henry “Hank” Thomas, Dwyane Wade – Agent Dies

Dwyane Wade missed the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game against the Indiana Pacers because his agent, Henry “Hank” Thomas passed away.  He was 64-years-old and died in Chicago on Saturday, January 17, 208.  In the Instagram post below, Wade explains that he’s crying tears of sadness and joy and he reminisces about the hugging Hank.

Henry Thomas played a major role in the Miami Heat’s success.  Wade signed with Thomas in 2003 when he was the president of CSMG Sports.  Hank also represented Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway and many other Heat players.

Henry “Hank” Thomas, Dwyane Wade’s Agent

Hank played a major role in the Heat’s 2012 and 2013 NBA championships, representing numerous players on Miami’s roster.  In 2009, Thomas joined CAA, the agency that previously represented LeBron James.  At the time, LeBron was represented by Leon Rose.  In 2012, James parted ways with CAA and he’s now represented by his childhood friends.

Unlike James, Wade stuck with CAA and Thomas has represented him for the last 15 years.  In 2009, Thomas was sued by Kim Grillier, a recruiter who worked for him from 2001 to 2007.  Grillier claimed that Thomas reneged on a oral promise to pay him 3 percent of marketing fees and 20 percent of Wade and Chris Bosh’s NBA playing contract fees.

Dear Hank, I’m writing this letter to you as i cry both tears of SADNESS and tears of JOY. I know— i know—i can hear your voice saying “Come on my man”you got this! I can picture your face and feel your hugs in so—so many moments in my life. Whether it’s you hugging me and saying how proud you are of me or congrats on winning a NBA championship or you hugging me and saying everything’s gonna be alright—we will get thru this. I can’t thank you enough for these last 15 years. You should be so proud of the job you did on this young misguided kid from Chicago. I was a young 21 when we met and i needed a Man’s love. My dad and i had things to work out and i was leaving my father figure Coach Crean—so you stepped in right away and became that MAN i desperately needed. I hate saying my “agent” because you have always been way more than that to me. I cry these tears because selfishly i wanted you to be there when i got my jersey retired or when i gave my hall of fame speech or when i had a daughter. I got so many questions on how to raise a strong, confident, intelligent, independent black woman. I hope you don’t mind but i will still be calling on you for guidance. I love you Henry(Hank)Thomas—THANK YOU for loving me right back. Be at peace—We( your family)got this!!! Your son Dwyane!

A post shared by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade) on Jan 27, 2018 at 12:32pm PST

Grillier claims that he brought Wade to Thomas’ office and announced that Dwyane would sign with CSMG.  Thomas earned his J.D. from DePaul University.  As Wade’s post explains, Hank may be gone, but he’ll never be forgotten.

What do you think about the death of Henry “Hank” Thomas? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.