40 years ago today, point guard Isiah Thomas made his debut for the Detroit Pistons. Drafted number two overall by the Pistons in the 1981 NBA Draft, Thomas went on to be a 12-time All-Star for our hometown team.
Thomas entered the draft after his sophomore season. Thomas helped the University of Indiana win the NCAA Championship where he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The Detroit Pistons selected Isiah 2nd overall in the 1981 draft right behind his childhood friend Mark Aguirre.
In his first game as a professional, Thomas lit up the Milwaukee Bucks for 31 points as he led the Pistons to fourth-quarter come from behind victory. “Zeke”, as he came to be known, helped the franchise to two straight NBA Championships. Thomas led the Bad Boys to the NBA Finals three straight seasons.
Isiah was something special from his first game as a Piston until his last. He holds the franchise record for points, assists, steals, and games played. He also was able to win an NBA Finals MVP award and 2 NBA All-Star game MVP awards. Isiah’s number 11 was retired by the Pistons.
40 years ago today, @IsiahThomas played in his first regular season NBA game and grabbed a win for the #Pistons while scoring an impressive 3️⃣1️⃣ points with 1️⃣1️⃣ assists.⚡️🏀 pic.twitter.com/4RvuvUIKrf
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) October 30, 2021
