Isiah Thomas is among the best point guards to have ever played in the NBA, he’s a two-time champion with the Detroit Pistons. While not the most popular player in NBA history, Zeke’s greatness cannot be denied. He came into the NBA as a champion at the collegiate level, where he played for Indiana University and led them to an NCAA title. How he got there is an amazing story, one he shared recently.
“The whole neighborhood showed up,” Isiah Thomas told Matt Barnes about Bob Knight’s visit on the All The Smoke podcast. “Then it was a fight almost that broke out too… So my second oldest brother Gregory, he asked Coach Knight the question. You know, ‘If Junior was to go down to Indiana, we know the Klan is right there. If something was to go down, who’s going to look after Junior?'”
“And I thought Coach Knight gave a pretty slick answer. He’s like, ‘Well, if we’re winning, then they gonna look out.’ But my brother, he didn’t like that answer… And my brother was lit at the time, that’s just how they was. So my brother was like, ‘Hey man, I’m like that. What do you mean, they gonna take care of him? We take care of Junior.’
“And so the conversation quickly got heated. The voices raised, and everything else. So everybody’s like, ‘Calm down and all that,’ and so Coach Knight stood up. And my brother is like, ‘Well, we can take this outside.’ So Coach Knight took off his jacket and started rolling up his sleeves. Like yeah, we can take this outside.”
(starts at 40:28 minutes)
This is an incredible story and just goes to show how times have changed. This is unimaginable in today’s world, especially with how young and talented athletes are catered to since they are 16 and 17 years old. The story makes for a wild one, but it eventually had a happy ending.
Isiah Thomas Enjoyed Great Success With The Indiana Hoosiers
Isiah Thomas ended up going to Indiana University and playing for Coach Bob Knight, and they found success together. In 1981, the Hoosiers won the NCAA title with Thomas as their best player. Isiah averaged over 15 points and 5 assists per game during his college career and would improve those numbers in the NBA.
Isiah Thomas has told some phenomenal stories from his life through podcasts and interviews, and his beef with Michael Jordan remains a topic of constant interest. But this Coach Knight story is up there too, and one can only imagine what would have happened if Thomas’ brother and Coach Knight did end up fighting.
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