As we prepare to begin another year of high school athletics, we think many of our local athletes can learn some lessons from outgoing Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas.
We are sad to see Thomas go. (While his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers remains in limbo at press time, it’s hard to imagine the sides would walk away at this late stage.)
Thomas represents what we love about sports.
He is the classic underdog – a third-string point guard on the mediocre Phoenix Suns before his trade to an equally so-so Boston team in February 2015. A little more than two years later, he was leading Boston to the first seed in the Eastern Conference and a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals while finishing third in the NBA in scoring.
We live in the age of the crybaby athlete. David Price pockets $30 million a year and, rather than accept responsibility for his disappointing performance on the mound, acts out with childish outbursts. Lebron James says he doesn’t have enough super friends on his super team, so he might have to abandon his hometown … again. (Remember when Michael Jordan’s Bulls went 72-10 with starters like Ron Harper and Luc Longley?) Star players around the NBA alienate working-class fans who pay hundreds of dollars to see one or two games a year because these stars need “rest” from their taxing “jobs” of playing a game for 30 minutes a couple times a week.
Despite all this, we still watch. Isaiah Thomas is one of the reasons why.
We watch him for the sheer skill that enables him, at 5 feet, 9 inches, to dominate a big man’s game. We watch him because he always plays his best in pivotal moments. And we watch him because he is a departure from the whiners who make up so much of modern professional sports.
Here are the lessons we think our local high school athletes can learn from Thomas:
To never give up. Even when Thomas was showing flashes of what he could do in NBA backwaters like Sacramento and Phoenix, NBA teams (and most fans) didn’t take him seriously because of his size. He was a novelty – a great talent, but not a leader of a contender. Too small!
To be unselfish. Commentators often compare I.T. to Allen Iverson, another undersized guard who was a prolific scorer. But Iverson was an egomaniac who famously ridiculed the idea of practice. By comparison, I.T. places the team first and makes everyone around him better.
To be tough – emotionally and physically. Thomas broke down during warm-ups for the C’s first playoff game against the Bulls this year after his sister’s tragic death in a car accident. But he played. He lost a tooth in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, had it put back in, and lost it again. But he played. He underwent hours of oral surgery before the next game. But he played – and scored 53 points. When a hip injury finally ended his season, fans knew it had to be serious to keep him off the court.
To play because you love the game. At a time when the ever-scowling Lebron is the face of the league, it is refreshing to see I.T.’s obvious love for the game and the joy with which he plays it.
All Celtics fans should wish Isaiah the best as he continues to recover from this injury and seeks to continue his success in Cleveland. Yes, we will root for our new stars, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, but we will miss I.T.
So remember, kids, as you begin fall sports: Believe in yourself. Never give up. Be unselfish. Be tough – no whining. And have fun. All sports are, after all, only games, even in the NBA.
For the rest of us, as the school year starts, let’s remember to be watchful for school buses and children crossing the road.
Enjoy this last weekend of “true” summer before school begins.
