Isiah Thomas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Isiah Thomas Position(s): Point guard Jersey #(s): 11 Born: April 30, 1961 (1961-04-30) (age 47) Chicago, Illinois Career information Year(s): 1981–1994 NBA Draft: 1981 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 College: Indiana Professional team(s) Detroit Pistons (1981-1994) Career stats Points 18,822 Assists 9,061 Steals 1,861 Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com Career highlights and awards NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1981) NBA All-Rookie Team (1982) 12x NBA All-Star (1982-93) 2x NBA All-Star Game MVP (1984, 1986) 3x All-NBA First Team (1984-86) 2x All-NBA Second Team (1983, 1987) 2x NBA Champion (1989, 1990) NBA Finals MVP (1990) U.S. Olympian (1980) J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1987) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2000) Basketball Hall of Fame Isiah Lord Thomas III (nicknamed "Zeke"[1]) (/aɪˈzeɪə/; born April 30, 1961) is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA Championship in the 1988-1989 and 1989-1990 seasons. After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. During the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Contents [hide] 1 Early life and college career 2 NBA playing career 3 International career 4 Post-NBA career 4.1 Toronto Raptors 4.2 Broadcasting 4.3 CBA 4.4 Indiana Pacers 4.5 Hall of Fame 4.6 New York Knicks 5 Controversy 5.1 Sexual harassment lawsuit 5.2 Racism allegations 5.3 Drug overdose 6 Career NBA statistics[20] 7 Coaching record 8 References 9 External links [edit] Early life and college career Isiah Thomas was born on April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of nine brothers and sisters, he commuted from the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago to play high school basketball at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois.[2] He would wake up at 5 am and commute 90 minutes to attend the prestigious private school.[2] He played for Bob Knight's Hoosiers at Indiana University. In 1981, Thomas led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament National Championship and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. After accomplishing this in his sophomore season, Thomas made himself eligible for the NBA Draft. [edit] NBA playing career In the 1981 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas and signed him to a four-year $1.6 million contract. Thomas made the All-Rookie team and started for the Eastern Conference in the 1982 All-Star Game. In the opening round of the 1984 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons faced off against Bernard King and the New York Knicks. In the pivotal fifth game, Thomas was having a subpar performance, while Bernard King was having an excellent game. However, in the fourth quarter, Thomas 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, eventually losing. In the 1987 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the Boston Celtics. It was the farthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne when they were the Zollner-Pistons. The Pistons were able to tie the Celtics at two games apiece. Detroit's hope of winning Game 5 was dashed at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining in a play by Larry Bird: Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. In 1988 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. Prior to the series, Thomas and Johnson would exchange a courtside kiss on the cheek prior to tip-off as a sign of their deep friendship. 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' most inspiring and self-defining moments came in Game 6. Although he had severly sprained his ankle late in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Isiah scored 25 points in a single quarter of the 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, Thomas, along with fellow teammates Adrian Dantley, Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, guided his team to a then-franchise record 63-19 record. Detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "Bad Boys". With Boston's injuries persisting, the Pistons defeated Michael Jordan and the up and coming Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals, to set up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. Thomas and the Pistons then won their first of back-to-back championships when they defeated the Lakers in a 4-game sweep. The following year, Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in the series with Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons continued to play well between 1991 and 1993 but were not able to return to the NBA Finals as they were eclipsed by the growing Chicago Bulls dynasty. An aging and ailing 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. His toughness and competitive fire won many admirers as well as adversaries over the years. 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. His number 11 was retired by the Detroit Pistons. [edit] International career Thomas was selected to the 1980 Olympic team, but like all American athletes he wasn't able to play in Moscow due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. The boycotting countries instead participated in the "Gold

Medal Series," a series of games against NBA teams, a French team and the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal Team in various U.S. cities, recording a 5-1 record (losing to the Seattle SuperSonics). Isiah shot 22-55 from the field and 14-17 from the line. He led the team in assists with 37 (the next most on Team USA was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game.[3] Despite his talent, Thomas was left off the original Olympic Dream Team, possibly as a result of his alleged feud with Michael Jordan.[4] After Tim Hardaway left the team due to injury he was named to Dream Team II for the 1994 World Championship of Basketball, but did not play due to his Achilles tendon injury that caused his retirement.[4] He was replaced by Kevin Johnson. [edit] Post-NBA career [edit] Toronto Raptors After retiring Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities. During his four-year tenure with the team, the Raptors drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby and high-schooler Tracy McGrady. [edit] 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 also worked a three-man booth with Costas and Doug Collins. [edit] CBA Thomas became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. After his purchase of the CBA for $5 million, the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded, after Thomas rejected an offer from the NBA for $11 million to make it an official minor league of the NBA.[5] 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, possibly on purpose to eliminate the non-NBA-owned minor league in order to make room for the NBA-owned NBDL. [edit] 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. Thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster. Unfortunately the Pacers under Thomas were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran-dominated, playoff-experienced team. In his first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets who did happen to go to the NBA Finals in those years. In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided the Pacers 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.[citation needed] As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seeded 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. [edit] Hall of Fame In 2000, Thomas was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, in his initial year of eligibility. [edit] New York Knicks On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase. At the end of the 2005-06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second-worst record. He traded away several future draft picks to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent-rich drafts. On June 22, 2006, the Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and owner James Dolan replaced him with Thomas under the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired. During the following season the Knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets, which Thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint.[6] However, he was not fined or suspended. NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he only relied on "definitive information" when handing out punishments.[7] Later in the season, nine months after James Dolan demanded "evident progress", the Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi-year" contract.[8] After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season. During the 2007 Draft, Thomas made another trade by acquiring Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Thomas also compounded the Knicks' salary cap problems by signing fringe players such as Jerome James and Jared Jeffries to full mid-level exception contracts. Neither player has seen any significant playing time and both are often injured and when able to play are highly ineffective. Despite the constant criticism that he received from Knicks fans, Thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around and he predicted that he would lead the Knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the Knicks, just as he had done for the Detroit Pistons. This prediction was met with widespread skepticism.[9] On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh was introduced to replace Thomas as President of Basketball

Operations for the Knicks. Walsh would not comment definitively on whether or not Thomas would be retained in any capacity at the time of his hiring. One night after the Knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that in talks with Walsh the week before, Isiah had been told he would not return as Knicks head coach the following season. He was officially 'reassigned' on April 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal."[10] As part of the reassignment agreement Thomas was banned from having contact with any Knicks' players under the rationale that he could willingly or unwillingly undermine Donnie Walsh and the new head coach.[11] [edit] Controversy This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) 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 has never been refuted by Jordan.[12] Thomas has ridiculed the idea of him being the mastermind behind a supposed "freeze-out" as being "ludicrous" citing that he was a relatively young player on a team including Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Moses Malone.[13] 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. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, Thomas and eight of his teammates walked off the court, refusing to shake hands with the members of the Bulls. 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. [edit] Sexual harassment lawsuit In October 2006, Thomas and Madison Square Garden were sued for sexual harassment by Anucha Browne Sanders. The matter came to trial in September 2007 and Thomas was determined to have made demeaning statements to Sanders, as well as making sexual advances and repeatedly telling her that he was in love with her. [14] Madison Square Garden was ordered to pay Browne Sanders $11.6 million, one of the largest sexual harassment judgments in history. "I'm innocent, I'm very innocent, and I did not do the things she has accused me in this courtroom of doing" Thomas said after the decision. "I'm extremely disappointed that the jury did not see the facts in this case." Thomas admitted under oath that he did in fact call Sanders a "bitch". Thomas also deemed it appropriate to exchange hugs and kisses with co-workers in his testimony. [edit] Racism allegations During Thomas's sexual harassment trial, Anucha Browne-Sanders testified that Thomas had told her he did not care about these "fucking white people" or these "fucking season ticket holders." Thomas denied these allegations.[15] After a heated 1987 playoff game against the Boston Celtics, Dennis Rodman said that Larry Bird was overrated because he was white in a league full of mostly black players. In response, Isiah said, "I think

Larry is a very, very good basketball player. He's an exceptional talent, but I have to agree with Rodman. If he were black, he'd be just another good guy." [16] [edit] Drug overdose On October 24, 2008, Thomas was taken to White Plains Hospital Center near his New York City area home after taking an overdose of Lunesta, a form of sleep medication.[17] According to Harrison, New York police, they were called to Thomas's house, where, finding him unconscious but breathing, they had him transported to the hospital. Police Chief David Hall stated that they "are calling this an accidental overdose of a prescription sleeping pill.” He was released from the hospital later that day. [18] In the opinion of Harrison Police Chief David Hall, Thomas tried to "cover up" the incident by claiming his 17-year old daughter required medical treatment when in actuality he was the patient. Referring to Thomas' 17-year-old daughter, Hall said, "And why they're throwing her under the bus is beyond my ability to understand." [19] [edit] Career NBA statistics[20] 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 [edit] Coaching record Team Year Regular Season G W L PCT Finish Result IND 2000-01 82 41 41 .500 4th in Central Lost in First Round IND 2001-02 82 42 40 .512 4th in Central Lost in First Round IND 2002-03 82 48 34 .585 2nd in Central Lost in First Round NYK 2006-07 82 33 49 .402 4th in Atlantic Missed Playoffs NYK 2007-08 82 23 59 .280 5th in Atlantic Missed Playoffs Career 410 187 223 .456 [edit] References ^ "That Was Then ... This is Now: Zeke and Franchise". NBA,com. Retrieved on 2008-09-27. ^ a b Metcalf, Stephen (2006-06-29). "The Devil Wears Nikes; Liking Isiah Thomas against my better judgment", Slate.com. Retrieved on 2 November 2008. ^ "Games of the XXIInd Olympiad -- 1980". usabasketball.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-27. ^ a b "Sports People: Basketball; Thomas Is Named To Dream Team II", New York Times (1994-01-11). Retrieved on 24 August 2008. ^ CBA Museum, Isiah Thomas Years ^ "Melo apologizes; Isiah reportedly under investigation", ESPN.com, 2006-12-20. Accessed 2007-10-03. "Though Thomas acknowledged telling Anthony not to go into the paint, he said Monday he meant it not as a threat but as a lecture on sportsmanship". ^ "Suspensions total 47 games from Knicks-Nuggets fight", Espn.com, 2006-12-20. Accessed 2007-10-03 ^ "Thomas shows 'evident progress'; earns new deal", Espn.com, 2007-03-07. Accessed 2007-10-03. ^ Isiah Thomas predicts a title ^ Isiah Thomas fired as coach of New York. He was fired on april 18, 2008 Knicks, Associated Press, April 18, 2008. ^ ESPN - Report: Ex-Knicks coach Thomas banned from contacting players - NBA ^ Wolff, Alexander."Look of a Winner", Sports Illustrated, accessed 2007-10-03. "There was the famous freeze-out at the '85 All-Star Game, at which Isiah Thomas led a movement of several veterans to keep the ball out of the hands of their uppity rookie teammate." ^ Albom, Mitch. "Why is Isiah leaving Detroit - Part 2", Detroit Free Press, accessed 2008-04-30."I don't know how something like that gets started... what you're telling me is that I came in the locker room that had Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Michael Ray Richardson and whoever else was on that team, and I said, 'Hey, Bird, hey, Doc' -- and I'm a young guy myself -- 'hey, let's not give Jordan the ball.' Do you know how stupid that sounds? Do you know how ludicrous that sounds?" ^ "Isiah Thomas, Madison Square Garden Settle Sexual Harassment Suit", FOX via The Associated Press (2007-12-10). Retrieved on 27 September 2008. ^ Destefano, Anthony M. (2007-19-12). "Plaintiff: Isiah Thomas cursed white fans", Newsday. Retrieved on 27 September 2008. ^ Levin, Josh (2005-12-12). "Follow That Bird; Why does every white basketball player get compared to Larry Legend?", Slate. Retrieved on 27 September 2008. ^

Lelinwalla, Mark; Schapiro, Rich (2008-10-24), "Police respond to report of drug overdose at Isiah Thomas' home", Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2008/10/24/2008-10-24_police_respond_to_report_of_drug_overdos.html, retrieved on 25 October 2008 ^ Beck, Howard; Schmidt, Michael (2008-10-25), "Overdose of Pills Puts Isiah Thomas in Hospital", The New York Times: D1, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/sports/basketball/25thomas.html ^ Police chief rebukes Thomas for involving daughter, 2008-10-25, http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hInuCb0TZ5tzZIztwN_DSQOzutYgD941NPU01 ^ "Isiah Thomas Career Stats". NBA Encyclopedia. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved on 2007-11-04. [edit] External links nba.com historical playerfile Isiah Thomas Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com Isiah Thomas Player Profile (InterBasket) Hoopedia bio Isiah Thomas Career Stats Isiah Thomas Historical Profile on NBA.com Quotes by Isiah Thomas Preceded by Darrell Griffith NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 1981 Succeeded by James Worthy Preceded by Alex English President of the NBA Players Association 1987–1994 Succeeded by Buck Williams Preceded by Position Created Toronto Raptors General Manager 1995–1998 Succeeded by Glen Grunwald Preceded by Larry Bird Indiana Pacers Head Coach 2000–2003 Succeeded by Rick Carlisle Preceded by Scott Layden New York Knicks Team President 2003–2008 Succeeded by Donnie Walsh Preceded by Larry Brown New York Knicks Head Coach 2006–2008 Succeeded by Mike D'Antoni [show]v • d • eNational Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History Kareem Abdul-Jabbar • Nate Archibald • Paul Arizin • Charles Barkley • Rick Barry • Elgin Baylor • Dave Bing • Larry Bird • Wilt Chamberlain • Bob Cousy • Dave Cowens • Billy Cunningham • Dave DeBusschere • Clyde Drexler • Julius Erving • Patrick Ewing • Walt Frazier • George Gervin • Hal Greer • John Havlicek • Elvin Hayes • Magic Johnson • Sam Jones • Michael Jordan • Jerry Lucas • Karl Malone • Moses Malone • Pete Maravich • Kevin McHale • George Mikan • Earl Monroe • Hakeem Olajuwon • Shaquille O'Neal • Robert Parish • Bob Pettit • Scottie Pippen • Willis Reed • Oscar Robertson • David Robinson • Bill Russell • Dolph Schayes • Bill Sharman • John Stockton • Isiah Thomas • Nate Thurmond • Wes Unseld • Bill Walton • Jerry West • Lenny Wilkens • James Worthy [show]v • d • eIndiana Hoosiers Basketball 1980-1981 NCAA Champions Tony Brown | Ted Kitchel | Steve Risley | Isiah Thomas | Jim Thomas | Ray Tolbert | Landon Turner | Randy Wittman Coach Bob Knight [show]v • d • e1981 NBA Draft First Round Mark Aguirre • Isiah Thomas • Buck Williams • Al Wood • Danny Vranes • Orlando Woolridge • Steve Johnson • Tom Chambers • Rolando Blackman • Albert King • Frank Johnson • Kelly Tripucka • Danny Schayes • Herb Williams • Jeff Lamp • Darnell Valentine • Kevin Loder • Ray Tolbert • Mike McGee • Larry Nance • Alton Lister • Franklin Edwards • Charles Bradley Second Round Jay Vincent • Tracy Jackson • Brian Jackson • Howard Wood • Gene Banks • Eddie Johnson • Ed Rains • Danny Ainge • Mike Olliver • Sam Williams • Kenneth Green • Charles Davis • Ray Blume • Al Leslie • Clyde Bradshaw • Harvey Knuckles • Greg Cook • Claude Gregory • Elvis Rolle • Elston Turner • Steve Lingenfelter • Ed Turner • Vernon Smith NBA Drafts 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 62 • 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 • 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 • 77 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 • 83 • 84 • 85 • 86 • 87 • 88 • 89 • 90 • 91 • 92 • 93 • 94 • 95 • 96 • 97 • 98 • 99 • 00 • 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07 • 08 [show]v • d • eDetroit Pistons 1988–89 NBA Champions 4 Dumars (Finals MVP) | 10 Rodman | 11 Thomas | 15 Johnson | 22 Salley | 23 Aguirre | 24 Williams | 25 Long | 34 Dembo | 40 Laimbeer | 44 Mahorn | 53 Edwards | Coach Daly [show]v • d • eDetroit Pistons 1989–90 NBA Champions 00 Bedford | 4 Dumars | 10 Rodman | 11 Thomas (Finals MVP) | 12 Henderson | 15 Johnson | 22 Salley | 23 Aguirre | 33 Greenwood | 35 Hastings | 40 Laimbeer | 53 Edwards | Coach Daly [show]v • d • eNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award 1969: West | 1970: Reed | 1971: Alcindor | 1972: Chamberlain | 1973: Reed | 1974: Havlicek | 1975: Barry | 1976: White | 1977: Walton | 1978: Unseld | 1979: D. Johnson | 1980: E. Johnson | 1981: Maxwell | 1982: E. Johnson | 1983: Malone | 1984: Bird | 1985: Abdul-Jabbar | 1986: Bird | 1987: E. Johnson | 1988:

Worthy | 1989: Dumars | 1990: Thomas | 1991: Jordan | 1992: Jordan | 1993: Jordan | 1994: Olajuwon | 1995: Olajuwon | 1996: Jordan | 1997: Jordan | 1998: Jordan | 1999: Duncan | 2000: O'Neal | 2001: O'Neal | 2002: O'Neal | 2003: Duncan | 2004: Billups | 2005: Duncan | 2006: Wade | 2007: Parker | 2008: Pierce [show]v • d • eNBA All-Star Game MVP Award 1951: Macauley | 1952: Arizin | 1953: Mikan | 1954: Cousy | 1955: Sharman | 1956: Pettit | 1957: Cousy | 1958: Pettit | 1959: Baylor & Pettit | 1960: Chamberlain | 1961: Robertson | 1962: Pettit | 1963: Russell | 1964: Robertson | 1965: Lucas | 1966: A. Smith | 1967: Barry | 1968: Greer | 1969: Robertson | 1970: Reed | 1971: Wilkens | 1972: West | 1973: Cowens | 1974: Lanier | 1975: Frazier | 1976: Bing | 1977: Erving | 1978: R. Smith | 1979: Thompson | 1980: Gervin | 1981: Archibald | 1982: Bird | 1983: Erving | 1984: Thomas | 1985: Sampson | 1986: Thomas | 1987: Chambers | 1988: Jordan | 1989: Malone | 1990: Johnson | 1991: Barkley | 1992: Johnson | 1993: Stockton & Malone | 1994: Pippen | 1995: Richmond | 1996: Jordan | 1997: Rice | 1998: Jordan | 1999: No Game Played | 2000: O'Neal & Duncan | 2001: Iverson | 2002: Bryant | 2003: Garnett | 2004: O'Neal | 2005: Iverson | 2006: James | 2007: Bryant | 2008: James [show]v • d • eJ. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award 1975: Unseld | 1976: Watts | 1977: Bing | 1978: Lanier | 1979: Murphy | 1980: Carr | 1981: Glenn | 1982: Benson | 1983: Erving | 1984: Layden | 1985: Issel | 1986: Cooper & Sparrow | 1987: Thomas | 1988: English | 1989: Bailey | 1990: Rivers | 1991: K. Johnson | 1992: M. Johnson | 1993: Porter | 1994: Dumars | 1995: O'Toole | 1996: Dudley | 1997: Brown | 1998: Smith | 1999: Grant | 2000: Divac | 2001: Mutombo | 2002: Mourning | 2003: Robinson | 2004: Miller | 2005: Snow | 2006: Garnett | 2007: Nash | 2008: Billups [show]v • d • eIndiana Pacers Indianapolis, Indiana The Franchise Franchise • All-Time roster • Seasons • Current season Arenas Indiana State Fair Coliseum • Market Square Arena • Conseco Fieldhouse Coaches Staverman • Leonard • McKinney • Irvine • Ramsay • Versace • Hill • Brown • Bird • Thomas • Carlisle • O'Brien D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Administration Melvin Simon (Owner) • Herb Simon (Chairman & CEO) • David Morway (GM) • Larry Bird (President) • Jim O'Brien (Head Coach) Retired Numbers 30 • 31 • 34 • 35 • 529 (in honor of Leonard's total wins as Pacers coach) ABA Championships (3) 1970 • 1972 • 1973 Media TV: FSN Indiana • Radio: WFNI-AM • Announcers: Chris Denari • Quinn Buckner • Clark Kellogg • Stacey Paetz Rivals Chicago Bulls • Detroit Pistons • New York Knicks [show]v • d • eNew York Knickerbockers New York City, New York The Franchise Franchise • All-Time roster • Seasons • Current season Arenas Madison Square Garden III • 69th Regiment Armory • Madison Square Garden IV Coaches Cohalan • Lapchick • Boryla • Levane • Braun • Donovan • Gallatin • McGuire • Holzman • Reed • Holzman • H. Brown • Hill • Pitino • Jackson • MacLeod • Riley • Nelson • J. Van Gundy • Chaney • Williams • Wilkens • Williams • L. Brown • Thomas • D'Antoni D-League Affiliate Reno Bighorns Administration Madison Square Garden, L.P. (Owner; subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.) • James Dolan (Chairman & CEO) • Donnie Walsh (President & GM of Basketball Ops.) • Mike D'Antoni (Head Coach) Notable Figures Marv

Albert • Dick Barnett • Walt Bellamy • Bill Bradley • Marcus Camby • Bill Cartwright • Dave Checketts • Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton • Dave DeBusschere • Patrick Ewing • Walt Frazier • Marty Glickman • Ernie Grunfeld • Allan Houston • Mark Jackson • Bernard King • Jerry Lucas • Anthony Mason • Stephon Marbury • Earl Monroe • Charles Oakley • Cal Ramsey • Micheal Ray Richardson • Nate Robinson • Trent Tucker • Latrell Sprewell • John Starks • Kiki Vandeweghe • Gerald Wilkins • Bob Wolff • Max Zaslofsky Retired Numbers 10 • 12 • 15 (McGuire) • 15 (Monroe) • 19 • 22 • 24 • 33 • 613 (in honor of Holzman's total wins as Knicks coach) NBA Championships (2) 1970 • 1973 Rivals Chicago Bulls • Boston Celtics • Philadelphia 76ers • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • New Jersey Nets Media TV: MSG Network • Radio: WEPN-AM • Announcers: Mike Breen • Walt Frazier • Gus Johnson • John Andariese Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isiah_Thomas" Categories: 1961 births | Living people | African American sports coaches | African American sportspeople | American basketball coaches | American basketball players | Basketball players from Chicago | Basketball Hall of Fame inductees | Detroit Pistons draft picks | Detroit Pistons players | Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players | Indiana Pacers coaches | McDonald's High School All-Americans | National Basketball Association broadcasters | National Basketball Association executives | New York Knicks coaches | People from Detroit, Michigan | Point guards | Toronto Raptors