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. His name is spelled "Isiah" but pronounced the same as the more common "Isaiah." He also goes by the nickname "Zeke."

Career Highlights

One of Thomas's best known and most self-defining performances came in an NBA Finals game against the Los Angeles Lakers. 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, a NBA Finals record. He will also be remembered for how his Pistons refused to shake hands with the Chicago Bulls team that finally beat the defending champs in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1991. Rumors would surface that this rivalry between Thomas and Michael Jordan would trigger Thomas's exclusion from the 1992 Dream Team Olympic basketball team that would go on to win the gold medal in Barcelona, Spain. Fans of the Boston Celtics also remember him for his inbound pass stolen by Larry Bird in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals that decided the game and ultimately the series in favor of the Celtics.

Related Topics:
Chicago Bulls - Michael Jordan - Dream Team - Barcelona, Spain - Boston Celtics - Larry Bird

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Thomas was ranked #17 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.

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