A video has emerged on social media of former Boston Celtics star point guard Isaiah Thomas getting emotional while talking about LeBron James’ work ethic.
Isaiah Thomas starts to tear up when talking about LeBron and his elite work ethic pic.twitter.com/cU4uShU0xZ
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) December 7, 2023
“Bro, he’s a machine,” Thomas said. “It’s crazy. He’s the first guy in there. Practice is at 11? He’s in there at 9. He’s the last guy to leave. Bro, it’s not — there’s no secret to it. I’ve been able to get all these guys as mentors, Jamal [Crawford], Floyd Mayweather, Tom Brady, Kobe [Bryant]. I watched LeBron for seven months. It was the dopest thing ever. No matter what he did the night before, he’s in there. He’s in there, taking care of his body. He’s a machine, bro.”
Thomas and James played with each other for a short time. The 5-foot-9 floor general played 15 games with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 regular season before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The point guard was a shell of his former self by the time he joined the Cavaliers, however. He averaged just 14.7 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 36.1 percent from the field and 25.3 percent from behind the 3-point arc with Cleveland.
Arguably Thomas’ best season in the NBA came during the 2016-17 season, his third and final season as a member of the storied Celtics franchise. The 34-year-old averaged a whopping 28.9 points to go along with 5.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game across 76 appearances with Boston during the regular season.
Those numbers earned the point guard the second All-Star nod of his pro career as well as a spot on the All-NBA Second Team alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gobert and Stephen Curry.
Thomas has yet to replicate his production during the 2016-17 season. In fact, he hasn’t played in the NBA since he suited up for 17 games with LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets during the 2021-22 regular season.
Considering Thomas is now long in the tooth and years removed from his most recent NBA stint, it’s very possible that he will never play in the league again. But despite the fact that Thomas’ prime was short, he still enjoyed arguably one of the best NBA careers of any player under 5-foot-10.
For Thomas to get emotional when discussing James’ work ethic says a lot about just how hard the latter has worked over the past two decades to put together arguably the most impressive resume in NBA history.
James and the Lakers will play the New Orleans Pelicans in an In-Season Tournament matchup on Thursday night.
