When Isaiah Thomas was with the Boston Celtics in the mid-2010s, he was among the league’s top scorers and a vital part of the Celtics team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17. However, his career trajectory drastically shifted after suffering a hip injury in 2017. In a revealing interview on the “Knuckleheads” podcast with former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, Thomas shared shocking details about how the Celtics managed his injury. To play in the 2017 postseason after sustaining a bone bruise on his hip earlier in the season, Thomas regularly received cortisone shots to manage his pain, believing that playing would not worsen his injury. However, during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thomas’ hip pain intensified, and a doctor later informed him that the cortisone shots had damaged his cartilage, resulting in a new, more severe injury.
“I’m upset because I put my career on the line for something that could’ve been explained to me,” Thomas said. “It took me three years to really get back to who I am and understand what was happening. It was a tough situation and a learning experience. I’ve got real love for Boston and everyone in that organization, but it was handled the wrong way.” He continued, “It sucks because so much was on the line—if I had made All-NBA that following year, I would’ve been eligible for a super max contract. All of that was at stake, and that s—t sucks. But you live and learn, make mistakes, and make decisions. I have no hard feelings, but it hurt because I put my career on the line, and then they traded me.”
Thomas was having a career-best season in 2016-17 before his injury, averaging 28.9 points per game, earning All-NBA Second Team honors, and finishing fifth in MVP voting. Since then, the 5’9″ point guard has struggled to return to his pre-injury form.
After the 2017 postseason, instead of offering Thomas a contract extension, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge traded him to the Cavaliers in a deal centered around Kyrie Irving. Still battling the hip injury, Thomas was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers mid-season. After undergoing hip surgery following the 2017-18 season, he has bounced around the NBA and G League, with stints on the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, and most recently, the Phoenix Suns. Thomas is currently seeking a spot on an NBA roster and has recently tried out with the Sacramento Kings, where he started his career, and the Milwaukee Bucks.