Sports
Isiah Thomas
born 1961 · basketball player, point guard, coach
Hall of Fame point guard who played his entire 13-season career for the Detroit Pistons, leading the brash 'Bad Boys' to back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.
- Born
Chicago, Illinois
age 65- Birth name
- Isiah Lord Thomas III
- Also known as
- Zeke
- Detroit years
- 1981–1994
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Isiah Thomas arrived in Detroit in 1981 as the second overall draft pick out of Indiana University and never played for another NBA team. He became the floor leader of the rough, physical Pistons teams nicknamed the 'Bad Boys,' who clawed past Larry Bird's Celtics and Michael Jordan's Bulls in bruising playoff series through the late 1980s. In 1989 Thomas helped Detroit sweep the Lakers in four games for the franchise's first championship; the Pistons repeated as champions in 1990 over Portland, with Thomas earning Finals MVP. Off the court, in 1986 he joined Mayor Coleman Young to organize 'No Crime Day' across the city, and he later built a Michigan-based investment company. The Pistons retired his jersey number, and the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2000.
Highlights
- Drafted 2nd overall by the Pistons in 1981; played his entire 13-season career in Detroit
- Back-to-back NBA champion in 1989 and 1990
- 1990 NBA Finals MVP
- 12-time NBA All-Star; jersey retired by the Pistons
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1981–1988
Pontiac Silverdome
Demolished · 1975–2017
The Pistons' home during the first part of Thomas's career; the dome was demolished in 2017.
Played here · 1988–1994
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Demolished · 1988–2020
Where Thomas won both championships and closed out his career; the arena was demolished in 2020.