“What are the odds that a young man is named after you?” – Isiah Thomas reveals instant connection on meeting Isaiah Thomas
Although Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, younger NBA fans remember the 5'9 Boston Celtics guard. With the name causing plenty of confusion over the years among NBA fans, it's no wonder that Isiah Thomas was also taken aback.
Years ago, when the Hall of Famer was scouting in New York, he heard about a young guard playing in Seattle, Washington, by the name of Isaiah Thomas. He recalled being pretty caught off guard to find another basketball player with the same name as him.
The NBA legend appeared on a recent episode of "All The Smoke", where he spoke on everything from his rival Michael Jordan to saving Stephen Jackson's career. He also recalled the time he learned about the 5'9 star while he was playing collegiate basketball.
"I'm hearing about this guard in Seattle by the name of Isaiah Thomas. And I'm like, 'this cant be right,' well it's a lot of stuff that goes through your mind. On the real, on the real, not 'is he mine' or anything but that but it's like, you don't know."
After being impressed by film of the undersized guard, he had the chance to watch him play. When they met, Isiah Thomas admitted there was a unique connection between them. Several years into his career, when Thomas began making a name for himself with the Celtics, the NBA legend wasn't surprised.
"Now he's breaking all kind of records, in Boston and I'm hearing Tommy Heinsoh talking about, 'Oh Isaiah he's the best, he's the greatest, and oh you got to love that Isaiah Thomas' and I'm like, 'What are the odds? What are the odds that a young man is named after you?"
Isiah meets Isaiah 🤝
Zeke tells the story of meeting the other @isaiahthomas.
Be sure to catch Part 2 of our interview with @IsiahThomas on our YouTube💨 https://t.co/2RcNCq9Dju
Exploring the origins of Isaiah Thomas' name, is he related to Isiah Thomas?
Is it just a coincidence that former Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas shares the same name as the Hall of Famer? Not exactly.
As the story goes, Thomas' father was an avid LA Lakers fan. When the team faced off against the LA Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals, Thomas bet his friend they would win. When the team lost, he named his son after the Lakers' nemesis, Isiah Thomas. The condition? His son's name had to use the biblical spelling Isaiah instead of Isiah.
As the Hall of Famer pointed out, despite the fact that the younger guard is named after him, the fact that he was able to ascend to NBA stardom is incredible. With the odds of becoming an NBA player incredibly small, the fact that Thomas was both named after him and made the NBA, left him baffled.
Isaiah Thomas, of course, currently finds himself a free agent as he continues to hold out hope for another chance to play in the NBA.