NBA Great Isiah Thomas Reveals Injury That Really Ended His Career

Unknown Date; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Pistons guard #11 ISIAH THOMAS in action against the Chicago Bulls at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Imagn Images (c) Copyright 1992 Imagn Images
Unknown Date; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Pistons guard #11 ISIAH THOMAS in action against the Chicago Bulls at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Imagn Images (c) Copyright 1992 Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images
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Many felt Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas' career injury ended when he tore his Achilles at the end of the 1993-94 season.

Thomas recently revealed that wasn't the case at all.

In an interview with Matt Barnes on the All The Smoke podcast, Thomas told the story.

"So here was the career-ending (injury) that I don't talk about and didn't talk about," Thomas said.

He then showed he can only halfway bend his shooting right wrist.

Thomas said he sustained a new injury during the 1990-91 season when the Detroit Pistons lost to the Chicago Bulls after winning the past two NBA titles. He underwent what was named the Kirk Watson surgery after the doctor who created it.




"He invented the surgery," Thomas said. "When he did the surgery on my wrist in `91, the year we lost, I think I missed 50-something games that year. He said to me, `You'd never play basketball again. This is career-ending, specifically for a small guard."'

Thomas retired following the 93-94 season after tearing his Achilles late in that season, so many associated that as the career-ender.

"You can go back and look," Thomas said. "After we won in `90, the wrist surgery, you look at my stas from `91 to `94. I wasn't the same player because I couldn't shoot."

Thomas only stuck around to fulfill contract obligations. This was before NBA players made crazy amounts of money.

"Why did I have to hang on," Thomas said. "You've got three more years left on the contract. You gotta get the money. You can't retire. You stay and do the best you can but you're not the same guy any more."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com