Things could have ended a lot better for Isaiah Thomas and his tenure with the Boston Celtics, then-Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge infamously swapping the onetime King in the Fourth for Boston nemesis Kyrie Irving after Thomas severely injured himself playing his heart out for Boston in the 2017 NBA Playoffs while mourning his sister's untimely death.
But even given the circumstances surrounding the exit of IT from Boston, the connection with the fans and the city remains strong, according to the man himself in a recent interview with the team-produced "View from the Rafters" podcast released this week. "I promise you that the first day that I got here, in terms of playing my first home game, it was just different for me," said Thomas. "From any stop that I had, like when I was on (the) Sacramento (Kings) for three years, when I was in Phoenix (with the Suns) for that half a season -- It just felt different."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I don't know what it was, and then it just continued to get bigger and bigger and bigger each and every game though, every game was so different," he added, "but it felt like the first game that I had."
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 09: Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Phoenix Suns before the NBA game at Footprint Center on April 09, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)"It's hard to explain because from day one, the love that I received from getting ejected, to my last game as a Celtic, to eight years later," he continued. "I'm 36 now, I haven't played in a Celtics uniform. But you would think I'm still a part of everything that's going on -- it's weird."
"Whether it's because everyone wants you for sure ... two and a half years, you would think I won a championship. You would think I was here 10-plus years, like ... Tom Brady, David Ortiz -- not to compare myself to those guys. The love is just like—it's just hard to explain. And I'm super appreciative -- I really put my hard hat on every day to give this city everything I had. So I think that was a big reason why they love me."
"And also, I am everybody's height too, so I always mention that," said Thomas. "I am a normal person's height, so I feel like, what I was doing on the court made others believe they can do it."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Isaiah Thomas on his ties to the city of Boston, Celtics fans
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