Many fans of today’s NBA game would say that the league is in great hands with the litany of talented point guards. With the game being played at a faster pace than we have ever seen before, it is important to have someone initiating an offense that is trustworthy and intelligent.
While many players have and will likely continue to eclipse his career totals on the stat sheet, Isiah Thomas’ full body of work as a point guard stacks up with an elite few who have played the game. Not many players had the combination of offensive talent, sheer toughness, and will to win that Isiah possessed, and that grittiness was evident during a highly competitive stretch of NBA basketball.
Isiah Thomas – Childhood
Isiah Lord Thomas III was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 30, 1961. While the location of upbringing is usually important to almost anyone’s story, it is especially critical to understanding Thomas’ background and outlook. To say that the future NBA star had a turbulent childhood would be putting it mildly. He grew up on the west side of Chicago, where violent crime and drugs were rampant.
Thomas had six older brothers and two older sisters, with whom he would constantly need to share resources with. There were many nights where there would not be enough food to go around, and Thomas would need to look around the sidewalks and inside the garbage to see if there were any scraps. If he did have any money, which was rare, he would walk around hoping that no one would rob him.
His father was the first African-American supervisor at International Harvester plant, but left the family once he lost his job there. Isiah’s mother, Mary, worked at the Our Lady Of Sorrows Catholic Church youth center, and did whatever she could to keep her children safe. In later years, Isiah Thomas would express significant gratitude for the sacrifices his mother made.
Through the ordeal, Thomas fell in love with basketball, and would be one of those kids who dribbled a ball for miles. He would play pickup hoops at a court that badly needed renovations, and would shoot around during the extreme cold that Chicago winters are known for.
Isiah Thomas – High School
Getting an education was not at the top of mind for Thomas most days; survival was. Fortunately for him, coach Gene Pingatore identified him as a basketball prodigy while he was in the eighth grade. There was no way that Thomas’ family was going to be able to afford private school, so Pingatore went to bat for the promising prospect and obtained financial aid for him to attend St. Joseph High School. Pingatore would see to it that Thomas got his fair shot on the basketball court, if he was willing to work for it.
Quitting was not in Thomas’ vocabulary. He would commute over three hours each way to St. Joseph’s, whose student body consisted primarily of white students. The odds had been always stacked against him, but he wasn’t about to give up now.
Despite his size, Isiah Thomas’ determination and skill turned St. Joseph’s into an Illinois basketball powerhouse. The Chargers steamrolled the competition, especially during the final two years of his high school career. The program was not able to win the state title, but the team was now on the national map, and Thomas was named a 1979 McDonalds All-American.
Isiah Thomas – College
As one of the premier players in the country, Thomas would have been able to attend his pick of universities. Marquette University was one school that was interested in recruiting the star guard, and assistant coach Rick Majerus came away impressed with the unbridled optimism Thomas had despite coming from the most challenging of circumstances.
At the end of the day, Isiah Thomas and Mary Thomas decided that Indiana University was the best place for him to go. In retrospect, it made a lot of sense for them to believe that the Hoosiers basketball program would continue to help Thomas flourish as a person and a player. Head coach Bob Knight was and is known as one of the strictest, most hard-nosed coaches in college basketball history, and if anyone could lead a team coached by him, it was Thomas.
During Isiah Thomas’ freshman year, the Hoosiers had a veteran team, led by future NBA players Butch Carter and Mike Woodson. But it was the 6’1” guard from Chicago who would lead the team in scoring, and catapult the program to a number two seed in the Mideast region. They would end up losing in the NCAA tournament in an upset to Purdue University.
Even though they lost a lot of talent heading into Thomas’ sophomore year, his role as the unquestioned best player and leader was solidified. The Hoosiers ended up as the number three seed in the Mideast region in the 1981 NCAA Tournament, and played their best basketball when it mattered most. En route to a national championship, Indiana won every game by at least 13 points. Thomas had a great postseason, punctuated by a 23 point, five assists, four steal gem against the University of North Carolina in the title game.
Isiah Thomas – Detroit Pistons Playing Career
Heading into the 1981 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons were a team looking for an identity. They had only won 37 regular season games in the past two seasons, and were struggling to keep up with an improving Eastern Conference. Their only saving grace was that they owned the second overall pick, and could take a player that would help swing their fortunes back in a positive direction.
After the Dallas Mavericks selected Mark Aguirre first overall, the Pistons scooped up Isiah Thomas. It was a decision that would set them up for the next decade. Although it took a couple of years and a coaching change for Detroit to truly turn things around, they finally had a leader who would not accept mediocrity on the floor, even as an NBA rookie.
Most people remember the Pistons at the tail end of Thomas’ prime as a physical, rugged defensive team who made their presence felt on every possession. However, for the first several years of Isiah’s career Detroit played a very different brand of basketball. The Pistons finished in the top ten in the league in scoring average in Thomas’ first seven seasons in the league. Especially early on in his career, they were known as a run and gun offensive team. In fact, Detroit was involved in the highest scoring game in NBA history in December 1983. They beat the Denver Nuggets in triple overtime by a final score of 186-184.
However, the seeds were being planted to ultimately contend. Head coach Chuck Daly took over in 1983-1984, and guided the team to their first playoff appearance since the 1976-1977 season. By the mid eighties, the team’s roster changed, to include players like Vinnie Johnson, Joe Dumars and Rick Mahorn. Bill Laimbeer had already been on the team since before Thomas joined, but was started to play a tougher brand of basketball.
Of course, Thomas was already as tough as they came, and in 1986-1987, the Pistons were ready to do some damage as presently constructed. In addition to the players mentioned above, they drafted a couple of guys named John Salley and Dennis Rodman, who helped the team play a few different effective lineups. They could trot out five players that were dangerous offensively, but could also mix and match defensively to help slow down the most talented players in the NBA. That season, they defeated the Washington Bullets and Atlanta Hawks on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. They would square off with the Boston Celtics, who had already won three titles in the decade.
The Pistons had a golden opportunity to take a 3-2 series lead, but Larry Bird stole and inbounds pass late in Game 5, and passed the ball to Dennis Johnson for a game winning layup. Detroit would impressively bounce back and win Game 6, but the Celtics pulled together to take Game 7. It was a gut-wrenching loss, but an impressive stepping stone for Detroit as a franchise.
The Pistons knew they could go blow for blow with any team in the NBA after that performance, and were ready to bring home the title in 1987-1988. The defensive identity that the Bad Boys were known for took hold that season, as they were third in the league in points allowed. They beat the Bullets and ascending but not yet ready Michael Jordan led Bulls team in the first two rounds of the 1988 playoffs. Triumphantly, they would get past the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, and would square off with the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA championship.
It was an extremely evenly matched series, but Isiah Thomas badly sprained his ankle. Most players would have opted to sit out Game 6, but Thomas wanted to play because Detroit had a chance to clinch the championship. In one of the most courageous performances in league history, Thomas led the Pistons with 43 points while limping up and down the floor, but the Lakers were able to win by one point. In Game 7, Thomas did not have the same lift or adrenaline. Detroit kept it close, but Los Angeles secured the title with the victory.
If the loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals hurt, then the defeat to the Lakers in the NBA Finals was excruciating. But Thomas and the Pistons would not be denied in 1988-1989. They won 63 games in the regular season, and were the second best team in the NBA in points allowed. As it turned out, the Chicago Bulls would be Detroit’s biggest obstacle towards winning a title, but Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the team were not quite ready to overcome the experienced Pistons. In the 1989 NBA Finals, the Pistons left nothing to chance, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers to secure the franchise’s first ever NBA title.
With the Lakers and Celtics aging, the Bulls seemingly not quite ready to play their best in crunch time, Detroit had a short window to do something very special in NBA history. Winning back to back titles is something a short list of teams had done to that point, and the Pistons wanted to join the club. They had a winning formula; everyone knew what they were going to do once the game began, but few could stop it. The defense they played in 1989-1990 was airtight, as Detroit gave up the fewest points in the league.
They would square off with the Chicago Bulls again in the Eastern Conference Finals, and things were a lot closer than they’d been in previous years. It seems like Chicago had an answer for the “Jordan Rules” that Daly and the Bay Boys Pistons would stifle number 23 with. The series went seven games, but the Pistons held the Bulls to just 74 points in the deciding game.
The Portland Trail Blazers came out of the Western Conference to face Detroit in the 1990 NBA Finals, but were no match for the championship well oiled machine. The Pistons beat Portland in five games, and etched their names in NBA history.
After that, Detroit would remain competitive, but it was Chicago’s turn to rule the league. Isiah Thomas would continue to make the All-Star in every season but his final campaign in 1993-1994, when many believed the franchise was looking to position themselves for a high draft pick to select Jason Kidd or Grant Hill.
Isiah Thomas – Toronto Raptors Executive Career
After his retirement in 1994, Isiah Thomas needed something else to satisfy his competitive fire. The expansion Toronto Raptors franchise was set to play their first season in 1995, and in a bold move, hired Thomas as Executive Vice President weeks after his playing days were over.
He would spent just over three years in the Raptors front office, and had the distinction of making their first ever draft pick, which was Damon Stoudamire in 1995. Towards the end of his tenure in 1997, Thomas would select Tracy McGrady with the ninth overall pick in that year’s draft.
Isiah Thomas – Indiana Pacers Coaching Career
Once his time with Toronto ended, Isiah Thomas spent a few years as a television analyst with NBC, covering the biggest NBA games from 1997-2000. It was a way for him to take some time for himself while he remained close to the game he loved.
That next big opportunity came in 2000, when he would be named head coach of the Indiana Pacers. Ironically, he would follow Larry Bird, who stepped down after the team lost to the Lakers in the 2000 NBA Finals.
Thomas guided the Pacers to the playoffs in each of his three seasons at the helm, and dealt with an interesting set of circumstances. Indiana’s veterans from the 2000 Finals team were still valuable but getting older, while a younger cast of characters were trying to find their way in the league. Reggie Miller was still the leader of the team, but guys like Jermaine O’Neal and Al Harrington needed to develop as well.
He oversaw a changing of the guard, where the franchise was handed over to O’Neal and Ron Artest. The Pacers lost in the first round of the postseason every year while this transition took place.
Isiah Thomas – New York Knicks Executive Career
Shortly after he left the bench in Indiana, New York Knicks owner James Dolan hired Isiah Thomas as President of Basketball Operations in December 2003. The team had fallen on hard times during the previous regime, and were looking for a spark.
It did not take very long for Thomas to make a blockbuster trade that would get the attention of Knicks fans and those around the league. Two-time All-Star point Stephon Marbury, originally from Brooklyn, New York, would be coming home to help turn the Knicks around. The team would go on to make the 2004 playoffs, but were swept in the first round by the-then New Jersey Nets.
Unfortunately, that was the farthest New York would get under Thomas’ reign. They only won 33 games next season as Isiah tried to find a coach that would help the team get over the hump. He fired Lenny Wilkens, and hired Larry Brown with the hopes that a proven champion could turn the Knicks around. Things would get even worse, as they only won 23 games the following year.
Isiah Thomas – New York Knicks Coaching Career
Thomas responded to the disappointment around the franchise by doing the one thing he used to do so well as a player; take control. Rather than entrust the team to a coach he hired, the former 12 time All-Star would coach the team himself, while continuing to make moves an executive to improve the roster.
With Marbury still in the fold, Thomas did bring some entertaining young talent to New York, such as David Lee and Nate Robinson. Jamal Crawford was also on the team, and had the potential to get hot in any game and score a lot of points. However, the team did not quite have an identity, or a bonafide direction they were going in. Since the Knicks finished with poor records, he tried to ensure that the draft picks they made had ample time to play, while also trying to shoehorn veterans who would help bolster the product on the floor. It proved to be too difficult of a juggling act, and Thomas left the franchise after winning just 23 games in 2006-2007.
Isiah Thomas – The Present And Future
While it seems like Thomas will not likely end up in a front office or a bench any time soon, he has remained close to the NBA over the years. He has been a studio analyst on NBATV for several years, and appears on network talk shows to discuss the most important NBA topics.
Off of the court, he also is the CEO of Isiah International LLC, which is a holding company that invests in other promising firms.
How many ring does Isaiah Thomas have?
Isiah Thomas won two memorable rings with the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons. The team won back to back championships, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in subsequent years. He was named the 1989-1990 NBA Finals MVP, recording averages of over 27 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Before the Pistons won their pair of titles, they were in the NBA Finals against the Lakers again in 1988. They had an excellent chance to win that title as well, but an injury to Thomas slowed the team down, and they ended up losing to Los Angeles in seven games.
What college did Isiah Thomas go to?
Isiah Thomas attended Indiana University for two seasons, playing under legendary head coach Bob Knight. The two were a match made in heaven, as Knight demanded maximum effort and toughness from his players, which Thomas had developed during his years growing up in Chicago.
The point guard would average 15 points, three rebounds and five assists during his time with the Hoosiers. His college career was punctuated with a 1981 NCAA title victory over the University of North Carolina, where Thomas was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. After he won the title, Thomas would declare for the NBA Draft.
Does Isiah Thomas still own Raptors?
Right after Isiah Thomas retired from playing in the NBA, it would not be long for his next opportunity to surface to have him remain in the league. The expansion Toronto Raptors franchise needed a face who would represent their basketball operations, and Thomas was the person selected for that. He was named part-owner of the Raptors, and the executive vice president.
As a result, Thomas would have full autonomy to help shape the roster and oversee their first draft. Thomas would be employed with the franchise from 1994 through November 1997. His first draft pick was University of Arizona guard Damon Stoudamire.
