Former Detroit Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas may have been known for his great smile but that does not mean he did not have a fire burning deep inside of him each and every time he took the court.
A good example of Isiah’s passion is when the Pistons took on the Philadelphia 76ers back in 1990 and he lost his cool, grazing his former teammate Rick Mahorn in the head with a punch.
“Less than a year after helping the Detroit Pistons earn their first NBA championship, Rick Mahorn returned to the Palace as a Philadelphia 76er and found himself in the middle of multiple skirmishes during his team’s 107-97 victory. First, former teammate Isiah Thomas took two swipes at Mahorn’s head. Later, a Mahorn dunk would incite a full-on brawl most famously remembered for Bill Laimbeer and Charles Barkley’s fisticuffs. The resulting punishments: Suspensions – Bill Laimbeer (1 game), Charles Barkley (1 game), Scott Hastings (1 game); Fines: Laimbeer ($20,000), Barkley ($20,000), Hastings ($10,000), Isiah Thomas ($7,500), 10 players ($500 a piece for leaving the bench), each team ($50,000 for failing to control its players).”
