Celtics fan favorite Isaiah Thomas, shown playing to the TD Garden crowd in April 2016, will be in Boston to be honored Tuesday.
Celtics fan favorite Isaiah Thomas, shown playing to the TD Garden crowd in April 2016, will be in Boston to be honored Tuesday.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
While the Celtics are considered one of the model teams of today’s NBA, having won a title and now trying to regain their championship mettle during this brief retool, one of the men primarily responsible for resurrecting the franchise will be honored Tuesday at TD Garden.
Isaiah Thomas’s Celtics stint lasted just 179 games but his production and impact was stellar enough that he will be honored at the Sports Museum’s The Tradition, along with the likes of Fred Lynn, Tim Thomas, Vince Wilfork, Keegan Bradley, and Gabby Thomas.
“When I was selected, I was honored and I was surprised,” Thomas told the Globe on Monday. “What is this going on eight years after [I left]? It’s super dope to get the memo and for people to explain to me what the award was. It was super cool, [I’m] thankful and I’m honored. To read on the history on the past guys who have accepted the award, it’s really legendary people in the city.”
It’s the latest example of Thomas getting the recognition he deserves for his contributions to the Celtics franchise, which was in limbo when he was acquired from the Suns in February 2015. The trade would change the trajectory of Thomas’s career and the Celtics’ ascension after trading away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Thomas put together two brilliant seasons for the Celtics, as the 5-foot-9 inch guard dazzled with his scoring ability as the No. 1 option, proving to naysayers that he was capable of leading a franchise to prosperity. But in March 2017, Thomas was landed on by the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns on a drive to the basket and tore the labrum in his right hip, an injury that would cost him millions of dollars, his All-Star status, and essentially end his time with the Celtics.
He set the franchise scoring record for a season. He scored a career-high 53 points in a playoff game against the Wizards. He led the team into the 2017 Eastern Conference finals. He also endured the tragic death of his sister Chyna during that playoff run and did not miss a postseason game. His dedication to the organization was unquestioned, but the injury made him vulnerable.
Then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge traded a hobbled Thomas to the Cavaliers in the Kyrie Irving deal, which ended up as a bust for both sides. Unable to fully recover from the hip ailment, Thomas became a journeyman, never able to gain traction with a franchise again.
He played two more months on that hip before finally being pulled from the conference finals loss to Cleveland because of the pain. He gave his body to the Celtics, and while he was a victim of the harsh business of the NBA, Celtics fans have never forgotten his significance to the regrowth of the franchise.
“Man it was everything and it feels like I was here for 10 years,” Thomas said of Boston. “It feels like I won a championship here, the love and the appreciation of the city, and what the organization shows me. It went by fast but I do reminisce on those days. Like I do think about them because when I was in those moments I was so paranoid to do better. I was so paranoid to realize what was next. That was my mind-set throughout my career so I didn’t always enjoy those moments in real time. So once I got out of those moments, especially here in Boston. I always reminisce. I always think about it because those were major moments.”
There are still No. 4 Thomas jerseys circulating not only around Boston but even abroad. He is constantly reminded of those clutch moments, using his small but strong body to create space for floaters, or attacks on the rim, or pulling up for those dagger 3-pointers.
“Yes, I’ve had a long career but most people, especially around the world, know me for my time with the Celtics,” he said. “And that says a lot to be a franchise guy of one of the most historic teams in sports history. Without winning a championship, without doing all the major stuff most guys do, I think the love and appreciation will be here forever. It always puts a smile on my face to be recognized as a Boston Celtic. That made my career super positive in the world’s light by putting on a Boston Celtics uniform.”
Yet, this crowning achievement does not equate to retirement for Thomas.
At age 36 and 19 months removed from his last game in the league, Thomas wants one more NBA shot, a chance to be a veteran presence and an opportunity to drop a few more buckets. He said his hip injury is completely healed after multiple procedures and a misdiagnosis.
In addition to working on his game daily, Thomas coaches his two sons in the Tacoma, Wash., area. He is content with his career and his decisions, although he realizes playing through that hip injury and then eventually getting traded because of it encouraged many of his NBA brethren to think about themselves and preserve their bodies, perhaps creating load management.
Thomas was due for a contract extension with the Celtics that never happened. But it hasn’t dampened his love for the game or his love for Boston.
“The only thing I wish that didn’t happen is obviously that I didn’t get hurt,” he said. “Because I would have been able to pave more of a way for the smaller guards. I wish I could have paved the way even more. Every day that I’m around the game of basketball somebody is telling me what I’ve done for them and what I’ve done for the game and I’m super appreciative when it comes to that. I put my heart, sweat, and tears into all of this, not just for myself and for the next little guy coming up. He can’t be this, he can’t be that, he can’t score in the league, he can’t be the No. 1 option.
“If just the small sample size of what I’ve done is able to push the generation of smaller guards to be able to make the NBA and be successful, that puts a smile on my face.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.