Mike Vorel: How ‘slow grind’ helped Isaiah Thomas make an improbable NBA return

PHOENIX – A few minutes before 11 a.m. Wednesday, Isaiah Thomas orbited the arc, sinking 3-pointers at each successive stop. He was one of few players left inside the 5G Performance Center, while general manager James Jones leaned against the back wall, silently watching him work.

In the lobby of said practice facility, rows of tiny, orb-like lamps hang from the ceiling, like a sky of miniature suns. Thomas, too, is a miniature Sun. But boy, does that man shine. Thomas, 35, signed a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, his first NBA stint since playing 17 games for Charlotte in 2022. He admitted that “a lot of people thought I should give up or just tap out. But I stayed positive.

I know what I can bring. I believe in myself more than anybody else does. “It was June 23, 2011, when I got drafted and I said, ‘All I ever wanted was a chance. I’ll do the rest if I get a legit opportunity.’ I’m back in the NBA. I’ve got an NBA jersey, and I know for a fact I’m going to take full advantage of it and make sure this lasts as long as I possibly can.” By now, you know the story. Thomas hailed from Tacoma and starred at Curtis High School before signing with the University of Washington in 2008. The 5-foot-9 scorer sizzled in Seattle, earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors in 2008 before being named to the All-Pac-10 first team each of the next two seasons. He sank a buzzer-beating, step-back jumper to vanquish Arizona and secure the 2011 Pac-10 men’s basketball title.

But this story is built on dreams, doubt and determination – what Thomas calls “the slow grind.” After being the last player selected in the 2011 NBA draft, he bounced between stops – spending three seasons in Sacramento and 46 games in Phoenix before being traded to Boston in 2015.

He ascended to stardom with the Celtics, making back-to-back All-Star teams in 2016 and 2017, while establishing himself as a fan favorite and a fatal finisher.

Which is when a hip injury sent Thomas’ career caroming out of orbit.

What followed was a frantic tour of NBA teams. Fifteen games with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seventeen with the Los Angeles Lakers. Twelve with the Denver Nuggets. Forty with the Washington Wizards. Three with the New Orleans Pelicans. Four more with the Lakers.

One with the Dallas Mavericks. Seventeen with the Charlotte Hornets. The cities changed. The colors changed. Thomas never did. “My journey and my story has always been the same,” said Thomas, who hopes to play for a few more seasons. “Counted out. Got to believe in myself.

Got to take advantage of every and any opportunity I get. So every step of the way hasn’t been different for me. It’s just been a different city, a different jersey.

But every step of the way has kind of been the same. My back isn’t against the wall. This is an opportunity to show the world what I’m about and the impact I can make every day.

What kind of impact can an undersized 35-year-old guard with an injury history have? That depends on your definition. Suns coach Frank Vogel made it immediately clear that Thomas might not play. He said this week that “he’s a guy that everybody loves.

He’s a very well liked, respected guy in this league and this NBA player fraternity. But we’re going to see where his game is at. I don’t know how much he’ll play for us, but he’s really here from a depth standpoint.