Isaiah Thomas takes sarcastic dig at Stephen A Smith for controversial 'Top 5 small guard runs' list: "I must be miniature then"
Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas took offense with a recent Stephen A. Smith list addressing the best NBA playoff runs by small guards. The former Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers guard became a major story in the NBA in the mid-and late-2010s, leading the Celtics to deep playoff runs.
Smith picked Jalen Brunson's 2024 run, Kyrie Irving in 2016 with the Cavaliers, Damian Lillard in 2019 with the Portland Trail Blazers, Stephen Curry with the Warriors in 2015 and Allen Iverson with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001. Thomas didn't like this list and let the veteran analyst know.
"Small guards? lol ok. I must be miniature then," Thomas wrote on Twitter.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson also took exception to this list, recalling that Isaiah Thomas had a great run in which he scored 25 points in one quarter.
Isaiah Thomas had a regular career in the NBA during his initial years. It wasn't until he landed in Boston that Thomas' career really took off.
After playing only 21 games in his first season with the C's (2015), Thomas became the leader of the team, playing the entire 82 games the next campaign, averaging 22.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists.
The next season, things got even better for Thomas. He averaged 28.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 5.7 apg. He took the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, although they couldn't stop LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 15 games during that postseason, posting 23.3 ppg, 6.7 apg and 3.1 rpg.
That season was the best in Isaiah Thomas' career. He finished fifth in the MVP voting, making a statement about his leadership and performance. However, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers that summer, which many think was the end of his peak.
Isaiah Thomas returned to the NBA this season
After a two-year hiatus, Isaiah Thomas made his comeback to the NBA this campaign, signing two 10-day contracts with the Phoenix Suns before they decided to sign him for the rest of the campaign.
He didn't have the same role he had with the Celtics, but Thomas made a good impression with teammates and coaches.
In six games with the Suns, he averaged 1.3 points and 0.5 assists. After Phoenix lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, Thomas became a free agent again, but he is still looking for a new opportunity in the NBA.