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Isiah Thomas

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Isiah Thomas
Personal information
Born (1961-04-30) April 30, 1961 (age 63)
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityUSA
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
CollegeIndiana University
NBA draft1981: 2nd overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career1981–1994
PositionPoint guard
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
For the boxer, see Isiah Thomas (boxer).

Isiah Lord Thomas III (/aɪˈzeɪə/) (born April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA, and is currently the head coach and president of basketball operations for the NBA's New York Knicks. He was also referred to by the nicknames Zeke, Cuts (for the numerous cuts over his eyelids), The Baby-faced Assassin, Coach, The Smiling Assassin, and Tuss. During the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

High school, college, and Olympic career

In high school, Thomas was an All-American guard on Gene Pingatore's first team at the Catholic St. Joseph High School (Westchester, Illinois).[1] Later, 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, during his sophomore season at Indiana, Thomas was an All-American, averaging 16 points and 5.8 assists a game 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 the University of North Carolina, and was named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Thomas left Indiana early to enter the National Basketball Association draft 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.

NBA playing career

In the 1981 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas and signed him to a steep four-year $1.6 million contract. Thomas made the All-Rookie team after starting for the East in the 1982 All-Star Game.

In the opening round of the 1984 NBA Playoffs, Isiah Thomas and the Pistons faced off against Bernard King and the New York Knicks. In the pivotal fifth game, Isiah Thomas was having a subpar performance, while Bernard King was having an excellent game. However, in the 4th quarter, Isiah scored 16 points in one minute and 33 seconds to force the game into overtime. King and the Knicks, however, held on to win in overtime.

In the 1985 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and his team went to the conference semi-finals against the 15 time NBA champion Boston Celtics led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Detroit couldn't shake the Celtics in their six game series. Boston prevailed as expected and Detroit's performance was a disappointment.

In the 1987 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the now 16-time NBA Championship winning Boston Celtics. That was the farthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne. The Pistons were able to tie the Celtics at two games a piece. Detroit's hopes of winning Game 5 and the series was shattered at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining. Isiah Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.

The Pistons first trip to the Finals saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. During one of the finals games Detroit was hosting, Thomas threw the basketball at Magic Johnson out of frustration. An altercation followed but was broken up and nothing more became of the incident and Detroit prevailed. After taking a 3-2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6.

One of Thomas' positive self-defining performances came in Game 6. Although he badly twisted his ankle in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Isiah was still able to score 26 points in a single quarter of that contest, an NBA Finals record. However, the Lakers won the game, 103-102, on a pair of last-minute free throws by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar following a foul called on Bill Laimbeer. With Isiah Thomas unable to compete at full strength, the Lakers were able to take advantage and narrowly clinched their second consecutive title in Game 7, 108-105.

In the 1988-89 season, along with fellow teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre Thomas guided his team to a then-franchise-record 63-19 record. Detroit played well through the playoffs. With Bostons injuries still persisting, the Pistons defeated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals, to setup up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. Thomas and the Pistons then won their first of back-to-back championships when the Pistons defeated the Lakers in a 4 game sweep. The following year, Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in the series. Thomas tore his Achilles' tendon in April 1994 and decided to end his career as a player the following month in May.

Thomas, a 6-1, 185 pound point guard, ranks as one of the best players of all-time. From 1981 to 1994 Thomas had a great career with the Detroit Pistons. He was named to the All-NBA First team three times and is the Pistons' all-time leader in points, steals, games played 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 dribbling ability as well as his uncanny ability to drive to the basket and score. Isiah Thomas has his number 11 retired by the Detroit Pistons and is considered easily the greatest Piston of all time. Thomas and his team won two NBA championships.

Controversy

In the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, Thomas was joined on the Eastern Conference squad by star rookie Michael Jordan. Jordan wound up attempting nine shots, a relatively low number for a starting player. Afterward, Thomas and his fellow veteran East players were accused of having planned to "freeze out" Jordan from their offense by not passing him the ball, supposedly out of jealousy over the attention Jordan was receiving. No player involved has ever confirmed that the "freeze-out" occurred, but the story has been long reported, and neither Jordan nor Thomas has publicly refuted it.[2]

In the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1991 NBA Playoffs, the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons faced the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls for the fourth consecutive season in the playoffs. The Pistons had defeated the Bulls in each of the first three meetings, but this time they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. The series was marked by a number of verbal, physical, and match-up problems confirming that the Bulls were the better team. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, Thomas and eight of his teammates walked off of the court, refusing to shake hands with the members of the Bulls. In the 1991 NBA Finals, Michael led his team to the NBA Championship defeating the Los Angeles Laker team in five games winning the series 4-1.

In 1992 Thomas was passed over by the United States men's national basketball team (popularly known as the Dream Team). Rumors have swirled that Thomas was left off the team because Jordan did not want him as a teammate on account of their bitter rivalry, which had begun with the alleged "freeze-out" and had continued through their playoff battles. Thomas also believed that his place on the Olympic team had been stolen by Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. An angered Thomas complained publicly, and later vented his frustration by having a high-scoring game against Stockton. The next game they played, on December 14, 1991, Karl Malone elbowed Thomas in the head as he drove to the basket. Thomas needed 40 stitches above his eye to close the wound. Malone was fined and suspended for the incident.[2]

Post-NBA career

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 resulting in accusations from giving NCAA basketball players tickets and other merchandise and inappropriate conduct with team staff. Even though the latter allegation was not thoroughly investigated, it seemed suspicious because of prior instances when Thomas played for the Detroit Pistons. To his credit over his 4-year tenure with the team, Thomas drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby and high-schooler Tracy McGrady.

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 NBA on 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 CBA, the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded. Many CBA managers blamed Thomas for the league's failure, citing mismanagement and out-of-control spending on his part. Many such managers publicly declared that Thomas ran the league into the ground.

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 off-season, Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with Rick Carlisle. Indiana went to the NBA Finals in 2000 when Bird was coaching. His decision may have been influenced by Thomas not being able to sustain the team as a title contender after his departure.

Hall of Fame

In 2000, Thomas was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, in his initial year of eligibility.

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, finishing last in the Atlantic Division in 2005. To address this, Thomas has made even more trades, sometimes cutting or trading away players he had paid a high price for in trades.

Thomas has been largely unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase so far. At the end of the 2005-06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the NBA, yet earned the second-worst record in the NBA, and traded away several future draft picks, including the number 2 overall pick in 2006. To make matters worse, the 2005 signing of career backup Jerome James to a 5-year $30 million free-agent contract was seen as a questionable move, even more so as he averaged only 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 22 games. [3]

On June 22, 2006, the New York Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and Thomas replaced him. Team owner James Dolan said that he would give Thomas one year to turn around the Knicks and make them a better franchise or he would be fired.[4]

On December 16, 2006, his team became embroiled in a vicious brawl with the Denver Nuggets, which Thomas was alleged to instigate by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint.[5] He received no fine nor suspension; NBA Commissioner David Stern was quoted as relying only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments.[6] After that brawl, the Knicks went 20-17, highlighted by victories over Utah (in ot), Charlotte (in 3ot), Detroit (in 3ot) and the Lakers twice.

On March 12, 2007, the New York Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi year" contract 9 months after Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan forewarned Thomas that the Knicks needed to show "evident progress" or he'd be out of a job. Dolan made the announcement at that time despite having said in December that he would not make an announcement until after the year was over.[7] After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.

On April 3, 2007 Isiah Thomas was fined for insulting the officials and saying that Stephon Marbury doesn't get the same respect as any other player in the NBA.

Thomas traded away New York's first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry. The result of the draft lottery was that the traded pick ended up being the ninth overall pick in a widely regarded talent-rich draft.[8] As part of the trade, the Knicks got the Bulls' 2007 first-round pick, which ended up being #23 overall.

On Draft Day 2007,Thomas again made another trade by acquiring Zach Randolph,Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.Then selected Wilson Chandler with the 23rd overall pick in the NBA draft.

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.[9] It was known as "Popcorn, Indiana", prior to his investment. The company currently has seven stores, two in Manhattan, and one each in Teaneck, New Jersey, Long Island, Philadelphia, Minnesota and West Nyack, New York, plus online and mail-order operations.

Thomas also appeared in the noted basketball documentary Hoop Dreams.

Thomas was very active with the Dr. Martin Luther King Boys & Girls Club as a youth growing up on Chicago's west side.

Thomas had donated money to 2000 presidential election campaigns of Democratic Party candidates Al Gore and Bill Bradley.[10]

Sexual harassment lawsuit

On January 24, 2006, Thomas and Madison Square Garden were sued for sexual harassment and retaliation by Anucha Browne Sanders.[11] Thomas is alleged to have made demeaning statements to Sanders as well as making sexual advances and repeatedly telling her that he was in love with her. According to court documents filed by Sanders, Thomas told Knicks cheerleader Petra Pope to flirt with the refs before a game with the Nets in 2004[12]. She also alleges that Stephon Marbury had sex with one of Sanders' employees.[13]

Career NBA statistics

  • Games played: 979
  • Games started: 971
  • Minutes per game: 36.3
  • Points scored: 18,822
  • Assists: 9,061
  • Rebounds: 3,478
  • Steals: 1,861
  • Points per game: 19.2
  • Assists per game: 9.3
  • Rebounds per game: 3.6
  • Steals per game: 1.9
  • Field goal percentage: .452
  • Free throw percentage: .759
  • Three-point percentage: .290

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.ihsa.org/initiatives/legends/index.htm
  2. ^ a b http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/jordan_retires/news/1999/01/13/wolff/index.html
  3. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=2122499&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
  4. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=2122499&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
  5. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2700761
  6. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2701228
  7. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2795257
  8. ^ newyorktimes.com
  9. ^ http://www.daleandthomaspopcorn.com
  10. ^ http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=a4rpw&txtName=Thomas,%20Isiah&txtState=(all%20states)&txtAll=Y&Order=N opensecrets.org
  11. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BKN-Knicks-Thomas-Harassment-Suit.html
  12. ^ http://www.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070630&content_id=1427042&vkey=1
  13. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19516277/
Preceded by NCAA Basketball Tournament
Most Outstanding Player (men's)
1981 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the NBA Players Association
1987–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Position Created
 Toronto Raptors General Manager
1995–1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Indiana Pacers Head Coach
2000–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York Knicks Head Coach
2006– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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