Inside The Huskies

Isaiah Thomas Always Makes His NBA Career a Family Affair

From his father to his sons, the former Husky basketball player shares the game.

Dan Raley

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When big-time basketball began for him 14 years ago, Isaiah Thomas had his father James by his side in Tacoma as he signed a national letter of intent to play for the University of Washington.

They had a strong connection to the game and it showed that day in their beaming smiles. 

A Boeing final-assembly inspector, James Thomas had named his son after NBA guard Isiah Thomas when he was born, only using the biblical spelling. He was a proud dad when his son formally accepted a Husky scholarship.

Dad said he lost a bet while watching the other Thomas and the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakes, his favorite team, in the 1989 NBA Finals, and it influenced the naming of his son.

"A friend of mine laid down a little money, my team lost and Isiah was the show," the older Thomas said. "It was either that or repeat my name, and his mom didn't want that."

Fast forward to 2022, and Isaiah Thomas is still sharing in a father-son connection that involves his basketball career.

Only he's on the other end of the equation.

Isaiah is the doting father now, with his sons James and Jaiden never far from him as he plays for his 10th NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets.

James Thomas shares a moment with his grandsons, James and Jaiden.
James Thomas shares a moment with his grandsons / Thomas

Isaiah Thomas has made it clear where he stands on family, posting this atop his Instagram account: "Proud Father! If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life."

Same as their father, the third-generation Thomases seem to enjoy the limelight of the NBA. 

A few years back, they took over their dad's Boston Celtics interview session, not the least bit intimidated sitting in front of that team's press corps. 

Thomas, 33, continues to extend his NBA career, now covering 11 seasons as he's overcome hip surgery and advancing age.

Yet he has has plenty of incentive to keep going, and not just to whet his competitive appetite.

Thomas gets to take his sons along for the ride, to share everything.

Note that he didn't name the siblings after an NBA player. One carries his father's name and the other's is very similar.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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