Isiah Thomas has never been one to hold back from sharing his opinions, even if they result in backlash. The Pistons legend recently called out LeBron James for practicing shirtless, which prompted fans to remind the former playmaker when he lacked “class” himself.
Advertisement
A LeBron fan shared an old video of a heated Thomas choking former Pistons assistant coach, Brendan Malone. The father of former Nuggets coach, Mike Malone, Brendan was with Detroit throughout their championship runs and knew the players well as a result.
To an unsuspecting spectator, it seems like Thomas was in the wrong. As a result, fans pushed back against IT’s comments by reminding him of one of his own supposedly classless moments. What Thomas did looked much worse than LeBron’s lack of practice attire, but the Hall of Fame guard wasn’t actually being violent with his coach.
Known for having intense battles with the Chicago Bulls, Thomas was upset after a tough foul in a hotly contested matchup against his bitter rival. Seven-footer Bill Cartwright hit the six-foot Thomas right near the eye, causing a deep cut that started to bleed. Bill Laimbeer held his point guard back, but Thomas still looked furious on his way back to the bench.
He knew he needed to take his frustrations out, so he directed his anger at Malone rather than the officials or opponents. The late assistant instructed Thomas to do just that, though.
Undoubtedly the most important player on the “Bad Boy” Pistons, Detroit couldn’t afford to lose Thomas due to a momentary lapse of judgment. To ensure Zeke wouldn’t be thrown out of an important contest, Malone asked him to take his frustrations out on him. His request led to an ugly moment on camera, but may have saved Thomas from an ejection.
Isiah Thomas talking about “class” because LeBron didn’t wear a shirt during warmups.
Is this considered class?
Guess so, by his standards. pic.twitter.com/UJq1PYQgo5— NBA•Fan (@Klutch_23) April 12, 2025
Even Thomas himself has confirmed this story, explaining how close he and Malone were for them to make this agreement. The 12-time All-Star shared that Malone entrusted him to do what he needed to get his anger out. “[Malone] said, ‘Whatever you wanna do, take it out on me because I don’t want you to get thrown out of this game,” Zeke recalled.
Thomas respected Malone’s request after the hard hit from Cartwright, showing that the two had a deep bond and understanding of each other and the situation. The pair’s relationship continued to remain steady even after IT’s playing career, as he also brought Malone on as an assistant during his executive tenure with the New York Knicks, which had its own controversies.
On a good note, however, Malone even returned to the Pistons for one last stint as an assistant from 2014-16 despite being in his late 70s at the time. His son also won the 2022 NBA championship with the
Thomas and Malone helped create something special in Detroit that is still revered in the city today, even if it required a little violence.
