Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III (born
April 30 1961, in
Chicago, Illinois) is an
American former professional
basketball player and coach, and is currently the president of basketball operations for the
NBA's
New York Knicks as well as the coach, following the firing of Larry Brown. His name is spelled
Isiah but pronounced the same as the more common
Isaiah //. He was also referred to by the
nicknames
Zeke,
Cuts (for the numerous cuts over his eyelids),
The Baby-faced Assassin,
The Smiling Assassin, and
Tuss.
Thomas played for
Indiana University and was named to the
1980 Olympic team, although the U.S. boycotted that year's games in
Moscow in protest of the invasion of
Afghanistan by the
Soviet Union. He earned All-Big Ten honors in
1980, becoming the first freshman in conference history to accomplish the feat. In
1981 in his sophomore season, Thomas was an All-American, averaging 16 points and 5.8 assisits as he led the Hoosiers to a 26-9 national championship season. In the title game at
Philadelphia, he scored a game-high 23 points in Indiana's 63-50 victory over
North Carolina. He left Indiana for the National Basketball Association in
1981. He earned a bachelor's degree from IU in
criminal justice several years later, as he promised his mother in writing that he would when he left college early to enter the NBA draft.
In the
1981 NBA Draft, The Detroit Pistons chose Thomas and signed him to a four-year $1.6 million contract. With their rookie point guard averaging 17 points and 7.8 assists, the Pistons improved by 18 games (from 21-61 in the 1980-81 NBA season to 39-43 in the 1981-82 NBA season). Thomas made the All-Rookie team after starting for the East in the
1982 NBA All-Star Game.
In
1983, Thomas made the All-NBA second-team when he averaged 22.9 points,which would be his career high. The following year, under new coach
Chuck Daly, he averaged 21.3 points and 11.1 assists and was voted first-team after leading the Pistons to a 49-33 record, the franchise's first winning season in seven years.
In making all-league first team again in
1985, Thomas recorded 1,123 assists (13.9 average), breaking the NBA record of 1,099 set by
Detroit's
Kevin Porter in
1979.
Thomas, a 6-1, 182 pound point guard, ranks as one of the 50 greatest players of all-time. From
1981 to
1994 Thomas had an exceptional career with the
Detroit Pistons. He was a 12-time
NBA All-Star, and is the Pistons' all-time leader in both points and
assists. Thomas ranks fourth in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg) and ranks ninth in NBA history in steals (1,861). Thomas was known for his dazzling dribbling ability as well as his uncanny ability to drive to basket and score on much bigger players.
With fellow
Detroit Bad Boys teammates
Joe Dumars,
Rick Mahorn,
Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson,
Dennis Rodman, and
Bill Laimbeer, he led the Pistons to NBA titles in
1989 and
1990, and was voted
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in
1990 after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in the series. He once scored 16 points in 93 seconds in a
1984 NBA Playoffs game against the
New York Knicks. In Game 6 of the
1988 NBA Finals, Thomas set an
NBA Finals record by scoring 25 points in a quarter, while playing on a severely injured ankle.
In the
1985 NBA All-Star Game, Isiah was joined on the Eastern Conference squad by rookie
Michael Jordan. Isiah was reportedly unhappy with all of the attention Jordan was receiving, and encouraged several other veterans on the East team to "freeze-out" Jordan, not allowing him to receive the ball, an unprecedented action in professional basketball. Neither side has ever confirmed the freeze-out in public, but the story has been reported for decades, with neither Jordan nor Isiah discrediting the incident.[
1]
During the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Isiah and the Detriot Pistons faced off against
Larry Bird and the favored
Boston Celtics. In Game 5 in Boston, Detroit led by a point with five seconds left and maintained possession. Isiah attempted to inbound the ball, but it was stolen by Bird, who quickly passed the ball to
Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. This play is considered one of the more embarrassing moments of Isiah's playing career. Boston went on to win the series in seven games. Following the defeat in Game 7, Isiah was asked about Bird's performance in the series. Isiah responded that, "If Bird were black, he'd be just another good guy." [
2]The Celtics lost the NBA Finals to the
Los Angeles Lakers in six games. A press conference was held with Bird and Thomas. Both players agreed the statement was a non-issue but the press had blown it out if proportion by that point.
In the
1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons were yet again facing Jordan and the
Chicago Bulls. Although the Pistons had ousted the Bulls in previous years, Jordan and teammate
Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to a four-game sweep over Detroit. Following the defeat, Isiah and his teammates walked off of the court, refusing to shake hands with the members of the Bulls.
In 1992, Thomas was passed over by the
U.S. Olympic Basketball Team (popularly known as the
Dream Team) when
John Stockton was chosen instead of him. At the time, Thomas had two championships to his credit. Only two members of the team had more:
Magic Johnson (5) and
Larry Bird (3).
Some believe that Thomas was left off because he was aging and his skills were declining. Others felt Thomas was snubbed by the team because
Michael Jordan did not want him on the same team due to their bitter rivalry in several playoff battles, which included the much-discussed freeze-out in the 1985 All-Star Game, as well as the behavior of Isiah and his teammates after Jordan led the Bulls past Detriot in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
Toronto Raptors
After retirement Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion
Toronto Raptors from 1994 to
1998, but left the organization after a dispute with new management. Over his 4-year tenure with the team, Raptors drafted
Damon Stoudamire,
Marcus Camby and high-schooler
Tracy McGrady, but were unable to make the playoffs.
Broadcasting
After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play-by-play man
Bob Costas and then as part of the studio team) for
NBC. Thomas' sometimes clumsy, monotone vocal delivery eventually led
NBC to add
Bill Walton as a secondary analyst to help compensate for Isiah's deficiencies as a commentator during game broadcasts. Thomas also worked a three man booth with Costas and
Doug Collins.
CBA
Thomas became the owner of the
Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from
1998 to
2000. After his purchase of the Continental Basketball Association, the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded. Many CBA managers blamed Thomas' mismanagement and out-of-control spending.
Indiana Pacers
From
2000 to
2003, Thomas
coached the
Indiana Pacers, succeeding
Larry Bird, who previously coached the Pacers to the NBA Eastern Conference title. Working with the leadership of
Reggie Miller, Thomas helped bring up young talents such as
Jermaine O'Neal,
Jamaal Tinsley,
Al Harrington, and
Jeff Foster. In his first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by teams that went on to become the Eastern Conference Champions in that year: the
Philadelphia 76ers and the
New Jersey Nets.
In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided them to a 48-34 record in the regular season and coached the East squad at the 2003 NBA All-Star game. The game was also
Michael Jordan's final All-Star game. Thomas was criticized for overplaying Jordan during the game as an attempt to make up for their past feud. As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seed
Boston Celtics. With blossoming talents such as
Brad Miller,
Ron Artest,
Al Harrington and
Jamaal Tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of
Reggie Miller, the perception existed that the Pacers' unfulfilled potential stemmed from Isiah Thomas' inexperience as a coach. In the offseason, Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with
Rick Carlisle. Bird's decision may have been influenced by his weak relationship with Thomas.
Hall of Fame
In
2001, Thomas was elected to the
Basketball Hall of Fame.
New York Knicks
On
December 22,
2003, he was given the job of president of basketball operations by the New York Knicks. He immediately changed the face of the franchise by trading for a number of high-priced stars. However, despite a very high payroll, the team performed poorly, including finishing last in the Atlantic Division in
2005. To address this, Thomas has made even more trades, sometimes trading away players he had paid a high price to trade for just a year or so previously. In addition, Thomas has been accused of trading for players that are widely viewed as both overpriced and difficult to work with.
Thomas continues to attempt to remake the Knicks roster, but so far without success and seemingly without any regard to the team's chemistry. It should be mentioned that the Knicks' draft choices appear to be promising. However, at the end of the
2005-2006 season, the Knicks have the highest payroll in the NBA, yet have earned the second-worst record in the NBA, and have traded away several future draft picks, including the number 2 overall pick in 2006. The Knicks' repeated failures and their questionable personnel decisions have made Thomas a lightning rod for criticism.
On
June 22,
2006, the New York Knicks fired coach
Larry Brown, and Thomas replaced him. Owner
James Dolan has said that he is giving Thomas one year to turn around the Knicks and make them a better franchise or he will be fired.
Other
Thomas, a self-proclaimed fan of
popcorn who has served as the official spokesperson for National Popcorn Poppin' Month, is a partner in the New York-based gourmet-popcorn chain
Dale and Thomas Popcorn.
DaleandThomas.com It was known as "Popcorn, Indiana", prior to his investment. The company currently has seven stores, two in
Manhattan, and one each in
New Jersey,
Long Island,
Philadelphia,
Minnesota and West Nyack, NY, plus online and mail-order operations.
On
January 24, 2006, Thomas and Madison Square Garden were sued for
sexual harassment and retaliation by
Anucha Browne Sanders.[
3] Thomas is alleged to have made numerous sexist and demeaning statements to Sanders as well as making sexual advances and repeatedly telling her that he was in love with her. The lawsuit also alleges that Thomas told Sanders he was pushing for more home games at noon on Sundays. His plan, according to Sanders, was to have opposing players go to New York clubs the night before to get them drunk so they would be sluggish for the next day's game.
Lawyers for Thomas claim the suit is a baseless attempt by Sanders to earn a large amount of money. In the days following the lawsuit becoming public knowledge, Thomas called two separate press conferences to deny that he had ever harassed Sanders. However, since the lawsuit became public, several other employees and former employees have come forward with similar lawsuits, and some in the public are questioning the Knicks organization's stand on sexual harassment and discrimination.
One of Thomas's best-known and most defining performances came in Game 6 of the
1988 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Although he had badly sprained his ankle in the game, Thomas continued to play. Hobbling and in obvious pain, Isiah was still able to score 25 points in a single quarter of that contest, setting an NBA Finals record.
Another spectacular performance came in the decisive Game 5 against New York in the 1984 playoffs, when he scored 16 points in the final 94 seconds of the 4th quarter.
Thomas was ranked #17 in
SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
Lifetime stats
*Games: 979
*PTS: 18,822
*PPG: 19.2
*APG: 9.3
*RPG: 3.6
*STL: 1,861
*FG%: .452
*FT%: .759
External links
*
Isiah Thomas Player Profile (InterBasket)
