The rise and fall of former NBA star Isaiah Thomas is one for the books. Drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Thomas eventually took over the team with his shot-making and clutch gene. He was then dealt to the Phoenix Suns for a trade exception before being sent to the Boston Celtics half a year later. It was with the Celtics, the most esteemed NBA franchise, that Thomas transformed into a star.
Isaiah Thomas Breaks Down Biggest Celtics Disappointment
While helping lead Boston to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, Thomas was named an All-Star in back-to-back seasons. In 2016-17, he earned the fifth-most MVP votes after averaging a career-high 28.9 points per game. At the time, his 2016-17 scoring average was the second-highest in Celtics history. In fact, Thomas was such a proficient scorer, he’s still Boston’s all-time leader in points per game (24.7).
Thomas. The 60th overall pick. For a franchise with 18 NBA championships.
In the postseason, Thomas played with the same verve, but that’s where the wheels fell off. After deciding to play through an injury in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the Washington native’s career took a rapid turn. Instead of shining under the spotlight, Thomas was on the operating table.
The Celtics then traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Due to another season-ending hip surgery, he only played 17 games with LA. The next season, Thomas played 12 games with the Denver Nuggets after recovering from the procedure. This pattern has repeated ever since, with Thomas’s most recent NBA stint being a one-month stretch with the Phoenix Suns.
To think, it all started because of the Celtics’ mistakes. That’s what, in the words of NBA villain Noah Lyles, hurts him the most.
The Massachusetts Misdiagnoses
“When I got traded to Cleveland, I was upset,” Thomas tells Knuckleheads co-hosts Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. “Because, at that point, I put my career on the line for something you could have just broke down to me and told me, ‘If you do play, or if we do this, it could possibly be what it happened to be.’”
“It took me three years to really get back to who I am and figure out what was going on,” the 35-year-old continues. “But it was a tough situation.”
“It was a learning experience for myself. I got real love for Boston and everybody in that organization. It was definitely the wrong way to go about things. I’m not blaming Boston, I’m not blaming those guys… It was just a messed up situation and it happened to be with me. And it sucks because so much was on the line. If I got All-NBA that following year, I’m a supermax (contract) guy.”
Thomas then breaks down how and when it all went wrong.
“At this point, it’s still a ‘bone bruise.’ There isn’t nothing else diagnosed. It’s just like it can’t get any worse;,that’s what was stated. Fast forward, that’s what I was very upset about. Like if you tell me, ‘This can possibly get worse, this is what you have, then it’s on me to make the choice. But it was none of that stated.
I went in like, ‘Okay, I got a bone bruise, I can figure this out like I’ve done my whole life… They shoot me up again to go into the Wizards series, I got shot up three times; every round. The last one was right before Game 7 of the Wizards series… Then in Game 2 (of the Cavs series), I remember get hit by a screen, and it just shoots to the back of my hip, and I’m like, ‘What the…’
Like, I’ve never felt this pain before. So we go into halftime, Danny Ainge and all (the doctors) are back there. They’re like you’re done, it’s a wrap. We gotta go to the doctor. We gotta figure this out.”
As Thomas recounts his experience, other players in similar situations may come to mind. Future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant is thought to have been misdiagnosed before rupturing his Achilles in 2019. However, Thomas’s situation is particularly unfortunate.
It’s Truly A Tragedy
As Thomas notes, had he been healthy, he likely would’ve been able to secure a supermax contract that could’ve been worth over $200 million. Now, he’s fighting just to earn the veteran’s minimum. On top of that, Thomas was putting the Celtics on his back while going through a tragic situation. His younger sister, Chyna, had just passed away in a car accident. He didn’t have to be on the court at all, let alone playing through an injury.
