Isiah Thomas became a Detroit Pistons legend after being selected No. 2 overall in the 1981 NBA Draft right after the Dallas Mavericks picked Mark Aguirre with the top spot.
The top two picks were also childhood friends, growing up just a few blocks apart in Chicago and have remained close during their NBA careers and beyond, which overlapped in Detroit from 1989-1993.
Each turned in historic careers, culminating in Thomas having his jersey retired by the Pistons in 1996 — along with a spot in the Hall of Fame — and Aguirre, 66, finally getting the same honor for the Mavericks Thursday night.
Neither player took long to develop into a star in the NBA for their respective team. But it wasn’t until they united in Detroit following a midseason trade in 1989 that they touched championship gold.
Thomas was present for the ceremony in Dallas and spoke with reporters on how thankful he was that the two got to play together and that Aguirre was the key to delivering two championships to the Pistons.
“Make sure we get this on television, I want to thank the Mavericks organization and the city of Dallas, because if Mark Aguirre doesn’t come to the Detroit Pistons, we never win a championship,” Thomas said. “He’s the reason why it all happened, the way it all worked out.”
When Aguirre arrived, the Pistons were a handful of games out of first place in the Eastern Conference, behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They would go 31-6 through the rest of the regular season and only lost two playoff games on their run to the franchise’s first NBA title, which concluded with a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“That’s how good he was,” Thomas said.
Aguirre had become a regular All-Star with the Mavericks and brought them to five straight postseason berths as the team’s leading scorer. His role was decreased when he joined the Pistons, but Thomas found the addition critical to their success as he posted 15.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The Pistons would win another championship the next year, with Aguirre becoming their primary contributor off the bench in the postseason and Thomas winning Finals MVP against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Having Thomas in Dallas for the retirement ceremony made for a powerful moment with Aguirre. When asked by reporters about Thomas being there to honor him, [Aguirre was overcome with emotion](https://x.com/MikeACurtis2/status/2017025745051165019?s=20).
“That means so much to me,” Aguirre said. “We grew up in the same neighborhood so he knows everything about me. When I look at him, I can’t hide anything.”
Their paths have crossed for decades and it was almost the case that they would’ve switched places had the Mavericks drafted Thomas, instead.
Thomas believes he played a role in Dallas deciding to go with Aguirre with the top pick instead of him.
“I could’ve been (the No. 1 pick) but (Mavericks coach) Dick Motta asked me a question and I just told him the truth,” Thomas recalled. “He asked me ‘Who do you think is the best player in the draft?’ And there was no question it was Mark Aguirre.
“He was always No. 1. Mark could’ve went to the NBA out of high school...when I was asked the question, it was this guy.”
The two were each plenty deserving of that No. 1 spot. Aguirre led DePaul to the Final Four as a freshman and won the Naismith College Player of the Year award before going to the NBA.
Thomas only played two years of college ball at Indiana, but won the Big Ten championship twice and was named Most Outstanding Player after winning the 1981 NCAA tournament.
It certainly worked out for the Pistons, getting their franchise icon and eventually bringing Aguirre into the fold for the team’s first two championships.