In 2017, Isaiah Thomas was at the peak of his career with the Boston Celtics. The 5’9″ guard had dazzled fans with his scoring prowess, averaging 28.9 points per game during the regular season. But behind the scenes, a hidden injury threatened to derail it all.
The tweet from Legion Hoops made a startling claim: Isaiah Thomas was not informed by the Boston Celtics that his injury could worsen if he continued to play. Furthermore, the tweet alleged that he was shot up three times per round during the playoffs.
The tweet reads,
“Isaiah Thomas wasn’t told by Celtics he could make injury worse and was shot up 3 times per round in 2017 playoffs:”
Isaiah Thomas wasn’t told by Celtics he could make injury worse and was shot up 3 times per round in 2017 playoffs: https://t.co/vJnZ5q1nwu
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 27, 2024
If these allegations are true, they raise significant questions about the Celtics’ handling of Thomas’s injury and their commitment to his well-being. It also highlights the complex relationship between players and teams when it comes to managing injuries.
Isaiah Thomas’s Injury
It started innocuously as a bone bruise, but it quickly escalated. Thomas played through the pain during the 2017 playoffs, getting “shot up” with painkillers before each game. The Celtics were in the midst of a deep playoff run, and Thomas was determined to contribute. However, the true extent of his injury remained undisclosed.
The Silence
“The thing that hurt the most was that nothing was explained to me,” Thomas later revealed. The Celtics never informed him of the potential risks or the severity of his injury. If they had, he might have made a different choice. Instead, he played through the pain, unaware that he was aggravating a right femoral-acetabular impingement with a labral tear.
The Fallout
The Celtics’ season ended in defeat against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thomas was traded to the Cavaliers that summer, and his career took a nosedive. He played just 32 games the following season, averaging a mere 15.2 points per game. The injury had forever altered his trajectory.