Watch CBS News

Zeke Thomas, musician and son of Isiah Thomas, talks about sexual assault and new music

As the son of legendary NBA All-Star Isiah Thomas, musician Zeke Thomas was born into privilege, but his childhood was marred by sexual assault when he was just 12 years old. It wasn't until high school that he came forward and told his parents what happened that day.

Thomas said that both he and his family were devastated when he was assaulted again in February 2016 on a date, but the artist talked to CBS News about how he is working through his pain by creating music.

Thomas said his first sexual assault happened when he was 12 on his way home from a basketball tournament; he told CBS News that three of his teammates forced him to perform oral sex on them in the van ride back.

Thomas said that he was assaulted again last year when he went on a first date with a man.

"Unfortunately, he drugged me and then raped me," Thomas explained. He said he woke up later with physical trauma but no recollection of the events.

"I don't believe I will ever be able to come to terms with what happened," he said. "You can't accept unacceptable behavior, but what I can say is how I've been able to survive: I sought out people to help; I talked to my family; I went to therapy and met with doctors; I've gone to support groups and will continue to do those things. Being a survivor is an ever-going process. It's something you have to do the work to continue and maintain."

That work includes becoming the first male ambassador for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and writing a new song called "Dealin' With It."

"I didn't go into the studio thinking I'd write a record based on my trauma, but it came out," he explained. "It was therapeutic … This is a song for survivors. Yes, you have a dark period and you gotta work through it. There's nobody who can start the process but yourself and I hope that 'Dealin' With It' explains that in a more musical way."

Thomas said his favorite verse is, "It's coming into view / Exactly what I need to do / I'm good at preaching but I can't be true / Cut the strings and cut me loose / I've got some things I've got to do / Than playing mindless games with you / I'm dealing with it."

Thomas has never sung on a track before -- he typically DJs -- but he said his family gave him the courage to show off his voice.

In fact, Thomas said that his family has never been anything but supportive, particularly when he came out as gay.

"Was I afraid to come out as gay to my parents? Not at all. They were the last I was afraid of," he said. "My family is the best and they are very supportive and will always be."

He said it was difficult to tell his family about the assault because he knew how upset they would be that he had been harmed.

"It was definitely a very emotional moment," explained Thomas. "They obviously were very hurt and upset but wanted to do everything in their power to help in whatever way they could."

Thomas said his family is fully behind his decision to go public with his story.

"I don't think it'll ever get easy to tell the story," he said. "My body tenses up and I relive the experience. I feel the moment I couldn't get out of bed for days. I feel that entirely, but I want to get through it and this allows me to help people and help myself."

The musician said that he does feel an added pressure as a man. "I 100 percent feel the weight of being a male, out front in rape and sexual assault who shared his story," he said of his role with NSVRC. "I feel the weight of that impact. The statistic of one in six men have been raped is a staggering number, and it's even worse for females. This is an issue in our country that we need to address properly."

Thomas feels so passionately about his message that he's not worried at all about the success of his song.

"The craziest thing is I'm not nervous, because it has nothing to do with sales or notoriety," he said. "This record's for me, and I love it."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.