Sports / Chicago Bulls Ex-Duke Basketballer Dies in Fall From NYC Building Thomas Emma was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1983 By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Jun 8, 2011 9:10 AM CDT Updated Jun 8, 2011 9:45 AM CDT Copied This is a Feb. 5, 1983, file photo showing Duke guard Thomas Emma (22) scrambling for the ball as Virginia guard Rick Carlisle, left, gives chase during a basketball game in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) Former star basketball player Thomas Emma plunged from the 12th floor of the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan to his death in an apparent suicide, says the NYPD. Emma's body was found at 11:30am yesterday on a second-floor landing of a building on Central Park South. Emma was a Duke University basketball team captain in 1983 and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. A star player even in his Long Island high school, Emma also wrote a book titled Basketball Player's Comprehensive Guide to Strength Training. He was president of Power Performance, a company devoted to training young athletes. (More Chicago Bulls stories.) Report an error