NBA legend Isiah Thomas laments pay-to-play youth sports for excluding impoverished kids
Since his NBA career ended, Isiah Thomas has transitioned to being an analyst for the sport. The Hall of Fame guard recently shared his thoughts on how sports are changing with the young generation.
On Friday afternoon, Thomas shared his thoughts on a social media post regarding sports participation among the youth. The post was about the percentage of children who play sports despite their families being below the poverty line.
Seeing these numbers sparked a little bit of fear in Isiah Thomas. He worries that children playing sports could become an economic privilege in the near future.
Growing up on the west side of Chicago, Thomas picked up basketball at a young age. If not for the opportunity to play at a young age, he might not have realized his full potential.
Most know Thomas for being the leader of the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons teams. He managed to lead them to a pair of championships in 1989 and 1990.
Thomas retired from the NBA in 1994 after spending his entire 13-year career with the Detroit Pistons. Along with being a two-time champion, he was a 12-time All-Star and one-time Finals MVP. Not long after his playing days ended, Thomas was in the Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2000.
Isiah Thomas comes to the defense of Kevin Durant in social media debate
When he isn't talking about the league on television, Isiah Thomas likes to share his basketball takes on social media. He recently interjected in an ongoing debate to come to the aid of one of the game's current stars.
This summer, countless NBA players are competing in the 2024 Olympics. Among those doing so is Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant. The former MVP is part of the star-loaded roster for Team USA.
Similar to Thomas, Durant likes to engage with fans on social media. He got into a long debate online with a fan comparing the NBA game to that of FIBA. Durant tried to explain to the fan that the game is at its peak when players are operating at random, off instinct, but they didn't agree.
While the fan disagreed with Durant, Isiah Thomas did not. He ended up re-posting something from KD, also stating that "Perfect Randomness" is best for offenses.
It's not shocking to see Thomas agree with this take, as it somewhat matches the style he liked to run with the Detroit Pistons. While he was talented enough to be the central hub of his team, it wasn't how he liked to play. Instead, he sacrificed better personal numbers to keep his entire team involved.
Thomas' selflessness made the Pistons' offense harder to defend, as they were capable of getting production from up and down the roster.