PHOENIX — A locally and nationally beloved basketball star who hails from Tacoma will be part of an NBA team's playoff push after a pair of 10-day contracts.
Isaiah Thomas, who starred at Curtis High School before playing at the University of Washington, was signed by the Phoenix Suns for the rest of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday. He has appeared in four games so far this season for the Suns.
It was a long road back to the NBA for Thomas, who was named to the All-NBA Second-Team and finished top five in MVP voting back in the 2016-17 season. Only MVP winners Russell Westbrook and James Harden had a higher per-game scoring average than Thomas' 29.9 PPG.
Prior to his signing with Phoenix, Thomas hadn't played in the NBA since 2022. He did play a few games with the NBA G League's Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 32.5 points per game.
At just 5-foot-9, Thomas has regularly overcome the odds to reach stardom in the basketball world. After starring at University Place's Curtis, Thomas became one of the greatest players UW's men's basketball program has ever had.
Thomas delivered perhaps the most memorable moment in modern UW men's basketball history, hitting a buzzer-beater in the 2011 Pac-10 Conference Basketball Tournament Championship Game to defeat the University of Arizona.
After all his success in western Washington, Thomas still was the last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, going 60th overall. He now is one of the last players from that draft class to still be active in the NBA, alongside stars like Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard.
He is most remembered for his remarkable 2016-17 season, which included Thomas playing through tragedy during the Boston Celtics' playoff run. Thomas' sister, Chyna, died in a car crash in Federal Way on April 15, 2017, and he went out and scored 33 points just a day later, while battling through tears pregame.
A few weeks later, Thomas put up an astounding 53 points on his late sister's birthday.
Thomas and the Suns have four regular-season games remaining before the NBA playoffs get underway.
