After three incredible seasons with the Boston Celtics, Isaiah Thomas will always be a fan favorite.
Late in the 2014–15 season, Isaiah Thomas was traded to Boston by the Sacramento Kings, who had selected him as their last choice in the 2011 NBA Draft. The rest is history.
Isaiah Thomas spoke with our NBC Sports Boston team on Celtics Pregame Live before Monday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas had just finished a six-game comeback to the NBA with the Phoenix Suns after a two-year absence from the league.
“Look, I’m trying—well, not trying—I’m going to be in the league for a couple more years,” stated Isaiah Thomas. “I want to get a couple more years out until my boys get to high school [where] I can put my full focus on those guys and their development.”
The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 24.7 points, 6.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and a steal per game during his three years with the Celtics. He was nominated to the All-Star team in each of his full Boston seasons. Even after the 2016–17 season, he came in sixth in the MVP competition.
Fans adored Isaiah Thomas for his heart, even though his stats on the floor demonstrated his worth. Not that he was frequently the team’s top scorer—fans adored Isaiah Thomas for his hard work, perseverance, tenacity, and never-say-die mentality. Thomas, who woke up a day after the death of his younger sister, put this on full display in Boston’s first-round playoff match of the 2017 campaign, scoring a game-high 33 points.
“I’m trying to get to at least 14 years (in the NBA),” said Thomas. “I am aware of Muggsy Bogues; my objective has always been to surpass him in being the shortest player with the longest NBA career. That remains the ultimate objective, and I will do it.
I’m not going to let up; the marathon is still ongoing.”
Between the 2018 and 2022 seasons, Thomas played for six different clubs after being moved from Boston to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that turned Kyrie Irving into a Celtic. Over those years, he would experience a decline in his numbers to an average of 11.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game, which would eventually cause him to leave the league in 2022.
