The struggle is inevitable if success is to be achieved. Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle. As per this fact, NBA Legend Isiah Thomas also had a struggling life story behind his success.
Two-Time NBA Finals MVP Isiah Thomas is regarded as one of the basketball’s all-time best point guards. In the late 1980s, the NBA floor belonged to the point guard of the Detroit Pistons. In the playoffs in 1989, the mystery guy held Michael Jordan’s powerful Chicago Bulls team at bay until 1991. But, nobody knows the life story of this formidable player.
Isiah Thomas was selected by the Pistons as the second overall choice in the 1981 NBA draft attributed to his outstanding performance at the college level. Throughout his entire NBA career, he was a veteran of the Pistons. But before he made it to the NBA, Thomas had a fascinating experience while he was deciding whether to enroll in college.
A recent edition of “The Pivot Podcast” featured Isiah Thomas reflecting on his difficult adolescence and eventual college recruitment. Since they don’t have electricity at home, he said he’d schedule all his recruiting gatherings during the daylight hours. A mysterious recruiter, whose identity Thomas would not reveal, once visited his house and presented him with $50,000. After seeing the cash, the Pistons icon and his siblings leaped with delight. But their happiness was short-lived since their mother turned down a chance for a new beginning.
The 12-time NBA All-Star observed that his mother showed little enthusiasm for the offer. The point guard stated, “My mom got up, went over to the briefcase, and closed it and looked at the guy and said, my son is not for sale.” When he thought about it, he realized that his family had nothing to eat and just a jug of water in the refrigerator at the time of that offer.
The Great went on, “My brothers and everyone was mad. But now that I’m older, I understood what my mom was saying and what that meant.” He then continued his basketball career at Indiana University–Bloomington, playing under legendary coach Bob Knight.
