Celtics

Isaiah Thomas says Boston Celtics didn’t reveal long-term risk of playing through hip injury in 2017

Published by
Brad Sullivan

Former Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas believes that the team wasn’t completely honest with him in 2017, when he suffered a severe hip injury from which he’s never really recovered.

Thomas appeared on the “All the Smoke” podcast and told (at the 47:08 mark) cohosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that the dangers of trying to play through his injury should have been explained to him by the Celtics.

“The only thing that I think they handled wrong was not explaining to me what the extent of my injury could be if I do play,” Thomas said. “That was the biggest thing for me that I disliked. ‘Cause nobody gave me no insight, ‘OK, you do play, this can happen.'”

The Celtics had stated that Thomas had a bone bruise, something he was ready to play through. However, it was later determined to be a much more serious issue, a right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear.

“If you’re gonna tell me it’s a bone bruise, I’m playing 10 times out of 10,” Thomas said.

The end result was that Thomas’ attempt to keep playing resulted in him getting shut down for the season and then being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the offseason in the deal to acquire Kyrie Irving.

Over the past four seasons, the 5-foot-9 Thomas has played in just 87 games for the Cavaliers and four other teams, including three games with the New Orleans Pelicans this season.

At 32, the diminutive Thomas’ career could be at an end, with his age and continued trouble trying to come back no doubt putting doubt in the minds of NBA executives. Thomas’ situation could make players in the future uncertain about whether trying to play through a painful injury is worth it in the long run.

Brad Sullivan

Brad has written on a variety of both NBA and NFL topics and has worked previously as a sports information director at the collegiate level. A lifetime fan of sports, he's witnessed countless great moments in different sports and understands that stories can be compelling from both the perspective of winners and losers. As a frustrated fan of Cleveland sports, he experienced something unprecedented when the Cavaliers won the city's first championship in 52 years.

Published by
Brad Sullivan

Recent Posts

John Harbaugh provides critical update on Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson sat out the team's practice on Tuesday thanks to…

2 mins ago

Jayson Tatum reveals he wanted to be traded after Gordon Hayward signed with Celtics

Not long after the Boston Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum out of Duke University with the…

5 mins ago

Steph Curry pushes back on Trump’s claim that he’s done most for Black people since Lincoln

Folks won't have to wait much longer to find out who the next president of…

8 mins ago

Draymond Green praises Jordan Poole’s play this season: ‘I think last year he was pressing’

Jordan Poole and Draymond Green played together on the Golden State Warriors, but now Poole…

4 hours ago

Charles Barkley explains how he made ’10 times’ the money on his Nike deal by following Michael Jordan’s advice

Back in the late 1980s and 1990s, Charles Barkley became a household name in sports…

4 hours ago

Former Raptors guard calls Drake ‘selfish’ for hating on DeMar DeRozan

Former NBA guard Lou Williams, who spent a season with the Toronto Raptors during his…

1 day ago