Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III arrived in Chicago on the 30th of April 1961. He grew up as the youngest of nine children on the city's West Side. His father worked at International Harvester before losing his job and becoming a janitor. The family faced hardship after the plant closed. Isiah started playing basketball at age three. He dribbled and shot baskets during halftime entertainment for Catholic Youth Organization games. He attended Our Lady of Sorrows School and St. Joseph High School in Westchester. A twenty-minute commute separated his home from that school. Coach Gene Pingatore led St. Joseph to the state finals during his junior year. Scouts considered him one of the top college prospects in the country.
Bob Knight recruited Thomas to play for Indiana University. Rumors circulated about Knight tying up players, but Thomas did not believe them initially. During a visit to the Thomas home, one brother insulted the coach and shouted at him. Thomas's mother chose Knight because she felt Bloomington would be good for her son. Knight threatened to put Thomas on a plane home during the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico. He yelled that Thomas ought to go to DePaul instead. Before the 1979, 80 season began, Knight kicked Thomas out of practice. Fans displayed bedsheets with quotations from the Book of Isaiah. They nicknamed him Mr. Wonderful while Knight called him Pee Wee due to his stature. Thomas and Mike Woodson won the Big Ten championship in 1980. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen tournament. In the following season, Knight made Thomas captain. The team won the conference title again. They captured the 1981 NCAA tournament as well. Thomas earned the Most Outstanding Player award that year.
Detroit selected Thomas second overall in the 1981 NBA draft. He signed a four-year contract worth $1.6 million. He wore jersey number eleven because Sammy Puckett had worn it before. On the 13th of December 1983, Thomas scored forty-seven points and recorded seventeen assists. That game ended in triple overtime against the Denver Nuggets with a score of 186 to 184. The Pistons faced Bernard King and the New York Knicks in the 1984 playoffs. Thomas scored sixteen points in ninety-four seconds during the fifth game but fouled out. Detroit lost the series. They met Larry Bird's Boston Celtics again in 1987. A turnover by the Celtics with five seconds remaining allowed Dennis Johnson to hit the game-winning layup. In 1988, the Pistons finally defeated the Celtics. They advanced to their first Finals in thirty-two years. Thomas and Magic Johnson exchanged a courtside kiss on the cheek before Game 6. Thomas played through a sprained ankle and scored twenty-five points in the third quarter. The Lakers won Game 6 by one point. They took the title in Game 7. The team finished 63, 19 in the 1988, 89 season. They swept the Lakers to win their first championship. Detroit repeated as champions in 1990 after defeating Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers.
Thomas joined Michael Jordan on the Eastern Conference squad for the 1985 All-Star Game. Jordan attempted nine shots that were relatively few for a starter. Veteran players allegedly froze him out of the offense. No player has confirmed this freeze-out occurred. Thomas called the idea ludicrous during later interviews. He pointed out he was young among veterans like Larry Bird and Julius Erving. Jordan dismissed claims about the freeze-out during his Hall of Fame induction speech. In September 2009, Jordan thanked Thomas for giving him motivation. Thomas agreed with Dennis Rodman's comments about Larry Bird being overrated in 1987. He said if Bird was Black he would be just another good guy. The Pistons faced Jordan's Bulls four times in the playoffs between 1988 and 1991. They lost the fourth series in 1991. Bill Laimbeer organized a walkout with seven seconds remaining. Most teammates walked off without shaking hands. Thomas was passed over for the Dream Team due to strained relations with Jordan. Magic Johnson stated they conspired to keep Thomas off the team. Tim Hardaway left Dream Team II due to injury. Thomas did not play because of an Achilles tendon injury.
Thomas invested through Isiah Investments LLC while playing for Detroit. His primary investment was American Speedy Printing Centers Inc. He helped lead that company from bankruptcy to profitability. He founded Isiah International LLC as a holding company. Gre3n Waste Removal and Re3 Recycling are part of that portfolio. He established Isiah.com in 1998 to serve consumers and corporations. Thomas became the first African-American elected to the Chicago Stock Exchange board in April 1999. He served until 2002. He owned Isiah Real Estate and put money into distressed areas. A $300 million development deal existed at the Illinois Medical District Commission by 2015. One World Products is a cannabis company where he serves as CEO. He purchased the Continental Basketball Association for ten million dollars in 1999. The league went bankrupt in February 2001 after the NBA started its own minor league. Thomas became part owner of the Toronto Raptors in 1994. He left the organization in 1998 over disputes with management. He later bought Cheurlin Champagne brand rights in 2016.
Indiana hired Thomas as head coach on the 20th of July 2000. He succeeded Larry Bird who had coached them to an Eastern Conference title. The Pacers lost in the first round during his first two seasons. They finished 48, 34 in his final year but lost to Boston again. Bird replaced him with Rick Carlisle on the 27th of August 2003. New York Knicks hired Thomas as president of basketball operations on the 22nd of December 2003. Anucha Browne Sanders filed a harassment lawsuit against him in January 2006. The case settled for eleven point five million dollars. James Dolan fired coach Larry Brown and named Thomas head coach on the 22nd of June 2006. A brawl occurred between the Knicks and Denver Nuggets that season. Thomas allegedly ordered hard fouls in the paint. He was not fined or suspended. The Knicks re-signed him after a dismal finish. Donnie Walsh replaced Thomas as president on the 2nd of April 2008. Thomas posted a winning percentage of .341 as head coach. Florida International University hired him on the 14th of April 2009. He went 26, 65 over three seasons there. FIU fired him on the 6th of April 2012.
Thomas organized No Crime Day in Detroit in 1987. He worked with Mayor Coleman Young to call for a moratorium on crime. Mary's Court foundation supports economically disadvantaged parents and children on Chicago's West Side. The charity is named for his mother. Mary's Court teamed up with Kids off the Block to serve meals during Thanksgiving. They donated fifty thousand dollars to FIU's First Generation Scholarship while Thomas coached there. A street on Chicago's West Side was named in honor of his mother. The Peace League began in 2011 through Thomas and Father Michael Pfleger. It operates within the Chicago area. Thomas co-hosted the Ballin' for Peace Tournament at St. Sabina Church in September 2012. Gang violence dropped drastically in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood since the league started. The tournament expanded to New York City during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. Over fifty players competed in the New York City Peace Game. Harry Belafonte spoke as a special guest. Children Uniting Nations presented Thomas with the Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2013. Mary's Court provides gifts and clothing annually during its Holiday Toy Giveaway.
Thomas won an NCAA championship with Indiana in 1981. He secured NBA championships with Detroit in 1989 and 1990. He earned Most Outstanding Player honors in 1981 and Finals MVP status in 1990. He made twelve NBA All-Star appearances. His career total reached 9,061 assists when he retired in 1994. That ranked third in history at that time. He recorded 1,861 steals which placed fifth then. As of 2023 his assist total ranks tenth in league history. He remains the Pistons all-time leader in minutes played with 15,904. He holds franchise records for points scored at 18,822. The Pistons retired jersey number eleven in February 1996. Michael Jordan called him the second greatest point guard ever. Thomas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2000. He entered the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 alongside Magic Johnson. He joined the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. He received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created for spurned athletes from the 1980 boycott.
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Common questions
When and where was Isiah Thomas born?
Isiah Lord Thomas III arrived in Chicago on the 30th of April 1961. He grew up as the youngest of nine children on the city's West Side.
What college did Isiah Thomas play for and what championships did he win there?
Bob Knight recruited Isiah Thomas to play for Indiana University. The team captured the 1981 NCAA tournament, and Thomas earned the Most Outstanding Player award that year.
How many NBA championships did Isiah Thomas win with the Detroit Pistons?
The Detroit Pistons won their first championship by sweeping the Lakers in 1989. They repeated as champions in 1990 after defeating Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers.
Why was Isiah Thomas not selected for the original Dream Team?
Thomas was passed over for the Dream Team due to strained relations with Michael Jordan. Magic Johnson stated they conspired to keep Thomas off the team.
What business ventures has Isiah Thomas pursued since retiring from basketball?
Thomas invested through Isiah Investments LLC and founded Isiah International LLC as a holding company. He purchased the Continental Basketball Association for ten million dollars in 1999 and later bought Cheurlin Champagne brand rights in 2016.
When was Isiah Thomas elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame?
Isiah Thomas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2000. He joined the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.