Former Lakers guard warns people about getting sold fake Kobes: ‘It be your own homies’

Jesse Cinquini
3 Min Read
Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas warned people about getting sold fake Kobe Bryant shoes.

Thomas’ first stint with the Lakers came during the 2017-18 season. The Lakers acquired Thomas along with Channing Frye and a first-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. Across 17 appearances and one start during the regular season with the Lakers, Thomas averaged 15.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 38.3 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from deep.

His second stint with the storied Lakers franchise was even more brief. He suited up in just four games with Los Angeles during the 2021-22 regular season and averaged 9.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

The most memorable stretch of Thomas’ NBA career came when he was a member of the Lakers’ bitter rivals, the Boston Celtics. During his three seasons with the Celtics, the guard earned two All-Star nods and led Boston to three straight playoff appearances.

His best season as a Celtic was the 2016-17 season, his last season in Boston. Across 76 appearances during the regular season, he averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range.

Thomas then went on to lead the Celtics to the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics eliminated the Chicago Bulls in six games and Washington Wizards in seven games in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Celtics and Thomas proved to be no match for LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, however. The Cavaliers eliminated the Celtics in five games, with Boston’s only win of the series coming on the road in Game 3. Cleveland then lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Maybe Thomas’ X (formerly known as Twitter) posts warning people about getting sold fake Kobes will make people more wary of buying shoes without doing their due diligence in advance to make sure that they’re authentic.

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Jesse is a sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA. He has worked as a staff writer covering the Lakers’ dreaded rivals, the Boston Celtics, for SB Nation. He has also covered the New York Knicks for The Knicks Wall.