Lakers jersey history No. 3/No. 7/No. 31 — Isaiah Thomas
As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years.
Let's now take a look back at Isaiah Thomas and his two brief stints with the Lakers not too long ago.
Perhaps the story of Thomas' time with the Lakers begins even before he was born. His father was a big Lakers fan, and that father made a bet with a friend that if the team lost in the 1989 NBA Finals, he would name his son after the Detroit Pistons star whose first name was Isiah. The Lakers, who were dealing with hamstring injuries to starting guards Magic Johnson and Byron Scott, got swept, and that is how Thomas got his first name.
He emerged as a star at the University of Washington and was a second-round draft pick in 2011 by the Sacramento Kings. Despite standing just 5-foot-9, Thomas became a star within a few years, and once he was traded to the Boston Celtics midway through the 2014-15 season, he helped them rebuild quickly after trading away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
Thomas made the All-Star team in both of the next two seasons, and during the 2016-17 season, he averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists a game, which led to him finishing fifth in the MVP balloting. Unfortunately, during that year's playoffs, he injured his hip, and that ailment triggered his decline.
Thomas was traded to the Lakers midway through the 2017-18 season along with Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round draft pick that became Moritz Wagner for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. He averaged 15.6 points on 38.3% field-goal shooting and 5.0 assists a game while appearing in 17 contests for them, and he would leave as a free agent that July.
The guard returned for an even shorter stint on a 10-day contract during the Lakers' chaotic 2021-22 season. He scored 19 points in just 22 minutes in his first game back, but he ended up appearing in just four games that year for them and scored a total of 37 points during that time.
Thomas last played in the NBA during the 2023-24 season for the Phoenix Suns, albeit in just six games. Midway through this past season, he joined the G League's Salt Lake City Stars for 14 games, and in just his first contest with them, he poured in 40 points.
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