"Experienced a level of incompetence": Isiah Thomas blasts Delta for missed flight, blames airline for NBA TV no-show
Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas has been living his post-NBA career as a basketball analyst. The two-time NBA champion is not on a good start for 2024, though, as he shared on social media that he had airline problems to kick off the year.
According to him, he got disrespected at a Delta Airlines terminal, which made him miss his basketball coverage with NBA TV, tweeting:
"I experienced a level of incompetence and disrespect @Delta #HPN airport today on my way to work. To all my fans who were looking forward to seeing me on @NBATV tonight you can blame @Delta for not letting me on the flight, which I had a paid ticket and seat assignment. Happy 2024."
The X post was replied to by Delta Airlines with a robotic response indicating that they regret Thomas' experience and apologize for not meeting his expectations.
The response also asked him to send them a direct message to assist him with his recent displeasure with the airline's services.
The legacy of Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas had a very successful NBA career, winning an NCAA championship with Indiana in 1981 and two NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990.
He was named the Most Oustanding Player in the 1981 Final Four and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1990. Throughout his playing years, he became a 12-time NBA All-Star and a consensus first-team All-American in 1980.
Retiring in 1984, Thomas ranked third in NBA history for assists, with 9,061, and fifth, in steals, doing 1,861. He's tenth in assists and fifth in assists per game. He still holds the Pistons' records for minutes played, points scored, steals and assists.
The Pistons retired his No.11 jersey in Feb. 1996 and was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History that year. Thomas was also part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
He has been inducted into various Hall of Fames, including the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Michael Jordan ranked him the second greatest point guard, after Magic Johnson. Thomas was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
In 13 seasons in the NBA, Isiah Thomas averaged 19.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He also shot 45% and dropped 1.4 3-pointers per game.