The NBA has a long history, and a lot of men have played key roles in the league in various capacities. In the late 80s, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas both led Eastern Conference teams to the NBA Finals and won championships, but by the time the early 2000s rolled around, both were involved with the same franchise.
Isiah Thomas became the Head Coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2000, and he built some really good teams during that time. They had players like Metta Sandiford-Artest and Jermaine O’Neal, and they were championship contenders. However, under Isiah Thomas, they got kicked out in the first round of the playoffs three years in a row.
And while he was fired in 2003 by none other than Larry Bird, who had become President of Basketball Operations, this came as a huge shock to O’Neal, who felt betrayed, as ESPN reported when the whole saga had unfolded.
“I don’t know who I would have signed with, but I would not have signed back there. Bottom line. Am I disappointed? Hell, yeah. I’m extremely disappointed for multiple reasons. I was told he would be here before I re-signed.
“If your boss told you your ace is going to be there for you if you come back, and once you come back not even a month later he’s not there, that hurts. That hurts a lot. He was more than a coach to me. He was like a father.”
It’s incredible to think that something like this happened, but O’Neal would stay with the Pacers till 2008, consistently making it to the All-Star team during his tenure. And if O’Neal was hurt by how Isiah was fired, that story is a wild one in itself.
How Larry Bird Told Isiah Thomas He Was Fired As Pacers Head Coach
Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas had their history of issues, as Thomas did with every major superstar back in the day. But the way Bird fired him was quite brutal, even considering that.
“He goes, ‘No no, you have done a great job, it has nothing to do with you, nothing to do with your coaching ability, or anything else.’ He said that ‘You know I played with Rick (Carlisle), he is my (Isiah’s) assistant coach, he is a good friend of mine, and Imma bring Rick in, but you have done nothing wrong.’ I say, ‘So I’m out?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I said why? He said, ‘I just like Rick better than I like you.'”
While the Bad Boy Pistons did earn some of the hate that came their way, this seems like quite a brutal way for Bird to have treated Isiah. But Rick Carlisle led the Indiana Pacers to success himself, and Jermaine O’Neal prospered under him too, so in hindsight, it probably worked itself out.
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