Isiah Thomas Biography

After leading Indiana University to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore, Isiah Thomas turned pro and began a now-legendary 13-year career with the Detroit Pistons. In July 2000, Isiah Thomas signed a multiyear contract to replace Larry Bird as coach of the Indiana Pacers.

But three years later, Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations and his first major decision was to fire Isiah Thomas.

Isiah Thomas Lord Thomas III was born April 30, 1961, the youngest of nine children in a West Chicago ghetto.

Isiah Thomas led his high school team to the state title game in 1978 and the next year was a member of the United States team at the Pan-American Games, which won a gold medal.

In the fall of 1979, Thomas enrolled at Indiana University. In 1981, Indiana won the national championship. Thomas was selected to the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, but never played because the United States boycotted the Moscow Games.

Isiah Thomas passed up his final two years of collegiate eligibility and entered the 1981 NBA draft. The Detroit Pistons picked him second overall in the draft. (Thomas did eventually earn a criminal-justice degree from IU in 1987.)

In Isiah Thomas' thirteen years with the Pistons he became the franchise's all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played. Thomas was an integral part of the Pistons' first-ever NBA title in 1989 as they swept the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pistons' second NBA title came the following year against the Portland Trail Blazers. Isiah Thomas was named MVP of the NBA Finals, averaging 27.6 points and 7.0 assists.

Isiah Thomas, of the Detroit Pistons, drives on Pacer Herb Williams in December 1981.

Isiah Thomas was named to the All-Star team every year of his career except 1994 and named MVP in 1984 and 1986.

During the 1993-94 season, Isiah Thomas was plagued by injuries. A torn achilles tendon in the April 19, 1994 game against the Orlando Magic ended his career.

Isiah Thomas retired with 18,822 points (19.2 per game), 9,061 assists (9.3 per game) and 1,861 steals in 979 games. He shot .452 from the field and .759 from the free-throw line.

Isiah Thomas was the fourth player in NBA history to record more than 9,000 assists, joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and John Stockton.

Isiah Thomas was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.

As a player, Isiah Thomas was president of the NBA Players Association. After his retirement Isiah Thomas became part owner and executive vice president of basketball operations for the NBA expansion Toronto Raptors.

Then, in October 1999, Isiah Thomas purchased a majority ownership in the Continental Basketball League, eliminating individual team owners and proposing to make a "farm team" system for the NBA. Unable to find a buyer for the league, Isiah Thomas was forced to put his ownership in a blind trust when he became coach of the Pacers. In February 2001, financial problems forced the CBA to suspend operation and some angry coaches and players blamed Isiah Thomas for the demise of the league.

On October 13, 2000, Isiah Thomas was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Isiah Thomas was named president of the New York Knicks on Dec. 22, 2003, after Scott Layton was fired.

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ISIAH THOMAS BIOGRAPHY