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

‘Wtf’: Trae Young reacts to Rashad McCants saying he could score 81 points like Kobe Bryant

Back in January of 2006, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant put on one…

52 mins ago

Rashad McCants says he could’ve won ROTY but had a coach who was ‘shaking in the motherf——g huddle’

Former NBA guard Rashad McCants was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the last lottery…

57 mins ago

Chandler Parsons says Jaylen Brown would be best player on over half of NBA teams, including some playoff teams

The Boston Celtics were without maybe their top player for Wednesday's Game 2 versus the…

1 hour ago

‘Spo gonna Spo’: Cavs player gives Erik Spoelstra his flowers after Heat’s near-upset in Game 2

The odds were stacked against the Miami Heat to pick up a win in Game…

1 hour ago

Report: Will Campbell landing with Patriots may depend on whether team gets ‘fair deal’ to trade down

As a consolation prize for a woeful 2024 season that was marred by losing, the…

1 hour ago

Report: ‘Most of the league’ has been contacted about Jalen Ramsey, including Rams, Lions and Eagles

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is one of the more notable players in the league…

1 hour ago