Benjamin Hochman | Post-Dispatch
榴莲视频 columnist
鈥淎t 19,鈥 the father said, 鈥淚 shot somebody.鈥
It would be the first of four times Karriem Thomas went to prison. The most recent time was in 2013, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the New York Police Department, .
His younger of two sons was 5.
鈥淚t鈥檚 part of my journey,鈥 said Karriem, who is now 46. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 part of Mel鈥檚 journey.鈥
Mel is 鈥淢agic Mel.鈥 Well, Mel is Jermel Thomas, the New York City high school senior 鈥 rated as the nation鈥檚 14th-best senior point guard by 247 榴莲视频 鈥 who will attend St. Louis U. next season. But the Internet knows him as Magic Mel, a wizardly dribbler and passer who鈥檚 so famous from social media videos, he鈥檚 been featured in a Gatorade commercial and has 86,000 followers on Instagram.
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Now, Karriem 鈥淪cooter鈥 Thomas was a budding New York City point guard, too.
鈥淚 was,鈥 Karriem boasted, 鈥渙ne of the top players in New York City as a kid 鈥 10 years old to 13 years old.鈥
While that might sound a little silly 鈥 surely it鈥檚 a subjective proclamation for something at such a young age 鈥 there is a mythical element, if you will, to the rise of the New York City point guard. Sebastian Telfair was profiled by major magazines before he could legally drive. Stephon Marbury was a teenage celebrity. And so many greats have blossomed from the blacktop 鈥 from Bob Cousy to Lenny Wilkens to Kenny Anderson 鈥 Pearl Washington to Kenny Smith to Kemba Walker 鈥 Nate 鈥淭iny鈥 Archibald to Rafer 鈥淪kip To My Lou鈥 Alston to God Shammgod, who played in the 1995 McDonald鈥檚 All-American Game in St. Louis and even has a dribbling move named after him.
鈥淲hat does it mean to be a New York City point guard? It means to be a showman,鈥 Karriem said. 鈥淚t means to entertain, to have pride what you do and to be the best player on the court.鈥
Karriem was raised by his mother in the Lambert Projects in the Bronx. At 14, he began selling drugs. He dropped out of high school. He said he got stubborn. Got greedy. And he got in over his head. The man he shot lived, but Karriem still went to prison for a half-decade. In total, Karriem鈥檚 four times behind bars were for a combined 13 years.
And his wife never left him.
鈥淪he鈥檚 the backbone of this family, Tonier Thomas,鈥 Karriem said. 鈥淢y wife is a strong lady and 鈥 please put this in the article 鈥 she held the family together.鈥
In 2004, they had Karriem Jr.
And in 2007, they had Jermel.
Karriem was imprisoned the fourth time, from 2013-16, in Brooklyn鈥檚 Metropolitan Detention Center.
鈥淲hile I was in federal prison, I wrote a plan,鈥 he said of how he hoped to grow his young sons into basketball players. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楪od, this is it. God, when you get me out of here, I promise you that I鈥檓 going home and I鈥檓 going to do good by my kids 鈥 and other people鈥檚 kids (who he would coach) 鈥 because the same way I destroyed my community selling drugs, I鈥檓 going to uplift it.鈥欌
鈥淗e wrote it on a paper 鈥 and it鈥檚 in my closet somewhere,鈥 Tonier said. 鈥淭he whole plan, the coaches, the parents. 鈥 Anybody that was good to us, he would write them down.鈥
Karriem will forever remember that first day back home. As he described the hugs, you just know he can still feel them.
And soon after, he went to work. 榴莲视频 went to work. The three guards.
鈥淢y first year back, I trained them,鈥 Karriem said, 鈥渂ut it was more that we re-bonded. I was just so happy to be back with Jermel and my oldest son.鈥
The South Bronx outdoor courts where Mel learned his magic were on Rev. James Polite Avenue. 榴莲视频 worked out six days a week. For some stretches, seven 鈥 鈥渋t built a lot of character with Mel, you know I鈥檓 saying?鈥 Karriem said.
Mel Mel aka Magic Mel aka The youngest member in JELLYFAM is NO JOKE. The best 5th grade hooper in the nation, Mel is already on his grind.
Jermel soon discovered two things 鈥 his confidence and his joy.
And he got so good, so fast.
By fifth grade, the famed basketball site called Overtime titled: 鈥溾業鈥檓 The BEST 5th Grader In The World.鈥 Magic Mel Takes Us Through EPIC WORKOUTS & Life In The Bronx.鈥
To date, the video has 2.8 million views on YouTube.
NBA superstar point guard Kyrie Irving reached out. Karriem said Irving flew his jet to Maryland to watch Jermel in a tournament. There鈥檚 a YouTube of that, too. The years flew by 鈥 like Jermel dribbling past a slow-footed defender 鈥 and Magic Mel became, in the hoops social media world, 鈥渁 household name,鈥 Karriem said. And Jermel grew all the way to 6-feet-2, too.
There are just so many videos.
This hoops Harry Potter passing alley-oops from under his legs.
Tightly-defended jump shots from seemingly inside a phone booth (though one wonders if a person born in 2007 knows what a phone booth is).
Jermel Thomas. Courtesy Riverside Hawks
And crossover moves and fakes that make even the video viewers jump like the defenders do.
And there are videos and photos of high school Jermel 鈥 he attends Our Saviour Lutheran School 鈥 with numerous NBA luminaries, from Luka Doncic to another famous Mel 鈥 that being Carmelo Anthony, now in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.
In July, Jermel鈥檚 summer team, the Riverside Hawks, defeated the top-ranked team in an Under Armour tournament. Coaches were watching.
Jermel was recruited by colleges such as Florida State and Seton Hall. But the Thomas family was extremely impressed that SLU coach Josh Schertz attended at least 10 of Jermel鈥檚 games. The family came to campus for a visit and, as Karriem described it, 鈥淭here鈥檚 just something about Coach Josh, man. Something about him and his staff that just made me comfortable. And I鈥檓 not a person who gets comfortable quick. They didn鈥檛 try to sell a pitch. It was natural. We vibed. And I had a good conversation with (the former SLU point guard) Yuri Collins.鈥
In early August 鈥 naturally, on social media 鈥 Jermel announced he鈥檒l sign with SLU and will be a 2026-27 freshman.
His brother, Karriem Jr. played high school ball 鈥 he doesn鈥檛 in college 鈥 and attends Buffalo State University.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe (we have) college students, coming where we鈥檙e coming from,鈥 Tonier said. 鈥淏lack American boys going to college? Not too many people see their kids grow up in New York and go to college. I lost a lot of family members to the streets 鈥 and they didn鈥檛 make it to see my kids鈥 ages. My husband, you know, he was in and out of jail, but we didn鈥檛 want that for our kids.鈥
Jermel Thomas. Courtesy Riverside Hawks
Which led to this question for Tonier 鈥 what was it about Karriem that kept her with him amid so many trips to prison?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great question,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e just brought something out of me that I never thought 鈥 like, he turned me into a woman. I was wild, too, when I was younger. In elementary and middle school, I was just always rough, always fighting. When I got with him, I couldn鈥檛 be like that. I had Karriem at 17 years old. So it changed my whole entire life. 鈥
鈥淗e鈥檚 very family oriented. Me and my kids come first. He shows us so much love. He鈥檚 our provider. He鈥檚 our protector. 鈥 I鈥檓 really into my family. They come before me. I put my husband, my kids, before everybody, you know? And I鈥檓 the one that keeps my family together sometimes. We went through a lot. 鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 just super-proud of my husband. He changed his whole entire life around for me and my boys. It鈥檚 not easy.鈥
St. Louis U. coach Josh Schertz speaks with the media via Zoom on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, after a a SLU season-ending loss at Arkansas State in the National Invitation Tournament.
