Isaiah Thomas was the star of the Brad Stevens' era Boston Celtics. The diminutive guard quickly established himself as a fan-favorite on the underdog Celtics, earning himself two All-Star selections and finishing in the top five of MVP voting in 2017. However, a severe injury led to his eventual exit from Boston, as he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Kyrie Irving trade.
During a recent appearance on the "Knuckleheads" podcast, Thomas revealed that Boston kept the severity of his injury a secret.
"The thing that hurt the most was that nothing was explained to me," Thomas said. "If you tell me, ‘This can possibly get worse, this is what you have,’ then it’s on me to make the choice...They shot me up 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 Cleveland series, I get hit by a screen, and it just shoots to the back of my hip, and I’m like, ‘What the [heck]?’”
Thomas has never fully recovered from that hip injury. Since leaving the Celtics, he has free-fallen through the NBA. He's had stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers (twice), Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns. He failed to earn a consistent spot in the rotation at each stop.
As such, it's fair for Thomas to wonder whether the Celtics' decision to push him through injury led to his drastic decline. If they didn't advise him on the severity of his injury, Thomas would have been unable to make an informed decision about whether to risk his future as the team chased a potential spot in the NBA Finals.
Nevertheless, Thomas remains a hero in Boston. He is still viewed as a fan-favorite and a catalyst for the current version of the Celtics, which recently won the 2024 NBA championship. He helped expedite their rebuild and was a key part of putting them back on the map.
Still, if Thomas' claims are true, Celtics fans will hope the team has adjusted its injury protocol and prioritizes the safety of the players. Considering the franchise sat Kristaps Porzingis for most of the playoffs, that looks to be the case.
