“My dad lost a Lakers bet so he named me after Isiah Thomas”: Isaiah Thomas revealed the unorthodox reason as to why he’s named after Pistons legend

Isaiah Thomas revealed that the only reason as to why he’s named after Isiah Thomas is because his father lost a Lakers centric bet. 

Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson were actually quite close during the 1980s. Johnson cried all night long with Thomas and Mark Aguirre by his side after losing to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals for the first time and across the decade, the two maintained a solid relationship. 

Of course, the two would have to face each in the NBA Finals two years in a row in 1988 and 1989, resulting in their friendship turning into a rivalry. Despite the rivalry, the two famously shared a kiss on the cheek before Game 1 tip-off in ‘88.  

They split their Finals with the Pistons winning in 1989 and going back-to-back with a win over the Portland Trailblazers in 1990.

Also read: “Isiah Thomas is the greatest Chicago basketball player of all time”: Dwyane Wade boldly stated he believes Pistons star to be the ‘GOAT’ of Chi-Town hoops

It was the second Finals series between the Pistons and the Lakers in ‘89 that led to future Boston Celtics superstar, Isaiah Thomas, being ‘bestowed’ with that name. 

Isaiah Thomas talked about why he was named after Pistons legend, Isiah Thomas. 

Isaiah Thomas, despite his physical limitations, made a name for himself in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. He made it clear during his Phoenix Suns days that he was a legitimate scorer with and inside and outside game and solidified himself as a true offensive superstar in 2016-17 with the Boston Celtics. 

Seems as though being named after one of the greatest point guards in NBA history really led to some good fortunes. The reasoning behind why he was even named after Isiah Thomas was due to the aforementioned 1989 NBA Finals.

Also read: “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated for two decades”: When Isiah Thomas snubbed Michael Jordan to claim Lakers legend was the GOAT

Isaiah’s father made a bet with a friend of his named Tony that the Los Angeles Lakers would beat the Pistons in the ‘89 Finals. Being a huge Laker fan, James (Isaiah’s father) had no issue with making this bet and as you can guess, if he lost, he’d have to name his son after the 12x All-Star. 

Of course, the purple and gold lost and Isaiah Thomas was given the name he carries to this day. One stipulation made by his mother was that his name be spelt Isaiah Thomas and not Isiah Thomas to adhere to the biblical way of spelling the name.