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ISIAH THOMAS



NBA Hall of Famer, Pres./Head Coach NY Knicks
for more details call 703.986.3585


TOPICS:
Motivation, Sports, Celebrities, Teambuilding, Leadership

SPEAKER DETAIL:
Thomas, named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and now president, GM and Head Coach of the NY Knicks, led the Pistons to the 1989 and 1990 NBA championship and was named MVP of the 1990 Finals.

TRAVELS FROM:
New York, New York


FEE RANGE:
$30,000-$44,999


DEMO VIDEOS:
> Isiah Thomas Rise To Greatness Video


RESOURCES:
> High Res Photo
> High Res Action Photo
> Downloadable Bio


NEWS & EVENTS:
2006-06-22 - Isiah Thomas takes over as Head Coach of the storied NY Knicks

Speaking Engagements Managed by The Agency SpeakersIsiah Thomas, a native of Chicago, Illinois, was one of the NBA's best small guards. At 6-foot-1, 182-pounds, he brought scoring, passing and flair to the game and a willingness to attack the basket.

An All-America at Indiana University, Thomas led the Hoosiers to a 47-17 record and the 1981 NCAA championship. He played 13 NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons, 12 of which he was named an NBA All-Star, and was MVP of the 1984 and 1986 All-Star Games. He ranks as Detroit's all-time leading scorer (18,822, 19.2 ppg, 34th best in NBA history) and assist-holder (9,061).

Thomas, named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996, led the Pistons to the 1989 and 1990 NBA championship under Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, and was named MVP of the 1990 Finals (27.6 ppg, 7.0 apg, 5.2 rpg). Thomas, the 1982 NBA Rookie of the Year, was named All NBA First-Team in 1984, 1985 and 1986 and Second-Team in 1983 and 1987. Thomas currently ranks fourth in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg) and ninth in steals (1,861).

He served as head coach of the NBA's Indiana Pacers for three seasons, compiling a 131- 115 record and reaching the playoffs each of his three years. On December 22, 2003, Thomas was named President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks. Within two weeks, Thomas had made three key personnel moves, releasing Clarence Weatherspoon and trading with the Phoenix Suns for guards Penny Hardaway and Stephon Marbury. On June 22, 2006 Thomas took over as Head Coach of the NY Knicks.

A consummate professional both on and off the court, Isiah has been a leader his entire life. As he has done in business and athletics, Isiah speaks with flair, compassion and intelligence. In his presentations, Isiah talks with audiences about the devotion it takes to become a master at your profession, the sacrifice it takes to be the best, and the joy of success.

Career Highlights:
NBA All-Rookie Team (1982)
All NBA First-Team (1984, 1985, 1986)
All NBA Second-Team (1983, 1987)
NBA Championships with the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990)
NBA Finals MVP, 1990 (27.6 ppg, 7.0 apg, 5.2 rpg)
12-time NBA All-Star (1982-1993)
All-Star Game MVP in 1984 (following a 21-point, 15 assist outing) and in 1986 (following a 30-point, 10 assist game)
Ranks fourth in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg)
Ranks ninth in NBA history in steals (1,861)
All-time leading scorer in Detroit Pistons history (18,822, 19.2 ppg), 28th in NBA history upon retirement and currently 34th best in NBA history
Scored a career-high 47 points against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 13, 1983
All-time assist holder (9,061) in Detroit Pistons history
Averaged 19.2 ppg in 979 regular season games and 20.4 ppg in 111 playoff games
Holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most points in one quarter with 25 (June 19, 1988 vs. Los Angeles Lakers)
Holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most field goals in one quarter with 11 (June 19, 1988 vs. Los Angeles Lakers)
Shares NBA Finals single-game record for most field goals in one half with 14 (June 19 vs. Los Angeles Lakers)
Dished out 25 assists against the Washington Bullets on Feb. 7, 1985 and versus the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, 1985
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

Pro Coaching:
NBA's Indiana Pacers (2000 - 2003)


Pro Coaching Highlights:
Led the Pacers to the Playoffs in each of his three seasons.

Other Career Highlights:
Part owner, and Executive Vice President, Toronto Raptors, 1994-1998
Majority Owner, Continental Basketball Association, 1998-2000
Named President, Basketball Operations, New York Knicks, December 22, 2003


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He served as head coach of the NBA's Indiana Pacers for three seasons, compiling a 131- 115 record and reaching the playoffs each of his three years. On December 22, 2003, Thomas was named President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks. Within two weeks, Thomas had made three key personnel moves, releasing Clarence Weatherspoon and trading with the Phoenix Suns for guards Penny Hardaway and Stephon Marbury. On June 22, 2006 Thomas took over as Head Coach of the NY Knicks.

Seriously i would highlight those transactions, and releasing implies that he didn't trade him to Houston for another ****ty player Muchie Norris.....

Where does it add

Isiah has guided the knicks to sub .500 record in each of his seasons
Single handly raised the payroll to an NBA all time high
Cost the Franchise hundreds of millions of dollars
Take the one of the NBAs marque franchises off national television
Alienated fans resulting in season tickets down 15%
Fired four coaching in three season
Universally hated around basketball
Pending sexual harrasment case

At least write an accurate bio

The Question was....would you hire this guy. If you meant before he came to the Knicks, the answer is Yes With his playing career/resume and other efforts, there aren't too many that wouldn't with the exception of Larry Bird. If you mean since and after he leaves the Knicks, I'd still lean more toward hiring him than outright saying that I wouldn't. If he was anywhere other than New York, he'd just be another GM/Coach but since he's our GM/Coach, we see (or we think we see) all of his faults and or mistakes. Coaches and GM's get hired, fired and rehired all the time even with a career full of failure. We will never know the process of decisions made by Isiah, which were all really his doing and those he was under pressure to do. I am in a high management job, I am trusted to do the job and over-ridden when they want something done their way. I am looked at when something doesn't go right and I can't say..."hey, it was their decision" if i want to keep my job.

[Edited by - Travla on 01-05-2007 00:02]

LOL Rich