Without a team since the end of last season, isaiah thomas still hopes to play in the NBA again. Even if his sporting situation is complicated, the former Celtics player is ready while waiting to be called.
“I stand ready. I hope the phone will ring soon” he confides to Heavy Sports. “But you know me, I take care of my family and I train. I stay ready, I stay as positive as possible in this situation. Obviously, I still want to play in the NBA, so I’m going to work for it until I can’t anymore. Day after day, I prepare myself by trying to keep my mind as sharp as possible during this time. I do two basic sessions a day, comprising two or three hours each”.
Last season, he succeeded in returning to the league, which is not an easy task when you are fired. He had played 22 games for three different franchises: the Lakers, the Mavericks and the Hornets, averaging 8.4 points in 15 minutes of play, which is pretty creditable. From now on, he is ready to make all possible sacrifices to taste this feeling again.
“I think at this point in my career my role will probably be to be a veteran, to teach guys how to be professional and to be ready when my name is called” does he recognize. “I’m only 34, but I haven’t played much in the last three years, so my body hasn’t been put too much strain. The operation in 2020 fixed the hip problem, and my body is really 31, 32 years old. I still have years in me to play at a high level. But that’s not what I’m looking for: I want to be able to play in the NBA and stand on my own two feet. That’s really what I want. I want to be able to play two or three more years, and if my name is called I know I can produce at a high level. I know it perfectly”.
Contacts with two franchises?
34-year-old Isaiah Thomas has already played for 10 different NBA franchises during his career: the Kings, Suns, Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets, Wizards, Pelicans, Mavericks and Hornets .
And he does not intend to stop there, because he still does not want to hear about an experience abroad.
“There are so many things I can do to help a team, other than scoring baskets and doing good deeds. If they call on me? I can play tonight and be productive, but I can do more. I can still be important for a team without particularly playing. That’s what I did with the Hornets last year. I was able to show my worth. I can still play. I say this in all humility. I can still play. It’s not like I’m asking for an impossible thing.” concludes Isaiah Thomas. “I know it’s close, I just have to find the team that really wants me. My agency and my representatives are trying to find a solution. Obviously there’s a lot of interest overseas, but I’m not even thinking about it right now, so I don’t even want to get involved. My ultimate goal is to wear an NBA jersey. That’s all I want “.
Isaiah Thomas also claims to have had contact with two franchises in recent weeks, without anything concrete for the moment, even if he hopes that they will call on him “this week or the next”.
