[5] As a sophomore, Theus helped lead UNLV into the national spotlight as the Rebels went 29–3, advancing to the school's first Final Four in Atlanta.

[5] In 1989, Theus was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame and in 1997 he became one of only eight players in school history to have his jersey retired by the Rebels.

[6] After attending UNLV and having a successful college career, Theus was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 9th pick of the 1978 NBA draft.

A 6'7" guard, Theus averaged 16.3 points per game during his first season and was the runner-up for the 1979 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

He was second on the team in scoring behind Artis Gilmore, a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Paired in the backcourt with fellow UNLV alumnus Ricky Sobers, Theus followed his rookie campaign with a sophomore season in which he averaged 20.2 points and 6.3 assists for the 1979–1980 Bulls.

[7][11] Newly hired Bulls coach Kevin Loughery decided to bench Theus for the first half of the 1983–1984 season.

[12] On February 14, 1984, Theus was traded to the Kansas City Kings for Steve Johnson and three second round draft picks, a move that saddened many Chicago fans who enjoyed Theus' enthusiasm and energy; however, this indirectly freed up a spot for a shooting guard on the Bulls, part of a series of events that eventually led to their drafting of Michael Jordan that off-season.

[13][12] Theus played for five coaches in five and a half seasons in Chicago: Jerry Sloan (1979–1982), Phil Johnson (1982), Rod Thorn (1982), Paul Westhead (1982–1983), and Kevin Loughery (1983–1984) .

[7] He averaged 15.8 points and 4.7 assists for the Hawks in 1988–89, playing in the backcourt with Doc Rivers and alongside Hall of Famers Dominique Wilkins and Moses Malone.

In his first season with the Matadors he led them to a 17–18 record, but managed to reach the Big West Conference Finals, where they lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

[1] On June 19, 2007, Theus was hired by the Maloof brothers and guaranteed three years as head coach of the Sacramento Kings.

He noted his hiring as coach had brought his career to "full circle", as he once played in the NBA with the Kings.

For several years Theus served as a studio analyst for Turner Sports and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Theus portrayed a high school basketball coach named Bill Fuller in the TNBC Saturday morning sitcom Hang Time from 1995 to 1997.

[citation needed] Theus has a son, baseball player Brennen Davis, with Jakki Davis-Dollak, a long-jumper at the University of Washington.