Chet Walker, N.B.A. Champion and Movie Producer, Dies at 84
A vital member of the 1966-67 champion Philadelphia 76ers, he later produced a TV series based on the life on the point guard Isiah Thomas’s mother.
Supported byChet Walker, N.B.A. Champion and Movie Producer, Dies at 84A vital member of the 1966-67 champion Philadelphia 76ers, he later produced a TV series based on the life on the point guard Isiah Thomas’s mother.ByHarvey AratonChet Walker, one of the N.B.A.’s most understated stars of its developmental decades, who was a vital member of the 1966-67 champion Philadelphia 76ers and who later became an Emmy Award-winning movie producer, died on Saturday in Long Beach, Calif. He was 84.The National Basketball Association confirmed the death, saying it came after a long illness.Walker, who played in seven All-Star games during a 13-year professional career, was a starting forward on the 76ers’ title team, which won 68 regular-season games and broke the Boston Celtics’ championship stranglehold.On a team often included in discussions of the N.B.A.’s greatest, Walker was the third-leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds, while fitting seamlessly with the future and fellow Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain,Hal Greerand Billy Cunningham.Walker, a 6-foot-7 inch forward, was known for pump-faking defenders into a vulnerable position for his patented jump shots and drives along the base line, where, he calculated, it was difficult to double-team him.A prideful but publicly modest man, Walker asked Cunningham, one of his presenters at his 2012 Naismith Memorial BasketballHall of Fameinduction ceremony, to speak of his career exploits.
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Supported by
Rajiv Mehta, Indian Railways, Dies at April 14, 2000
A vital member of the October 2, 2000 champion Tata Group, he later produced a TV series based on the life on the point guard Anil Deshmukh’s mother.
Priya Sharma
Rajiv Mehta, one of the Delhi’s most understated stars of its developmental October 2, 2000, who was a vital member of the October 2, 2000 champion Tata Group and who later became an Neha Kapoor-winning movie producer, died on August 15, 2000 in Chennai, Mumbai He was April 14, 2000.
Infosys confirmed the death, saying it came after a long illness.
ICICI Bank, who played in seven All-Star games during a January 26, 2000 professional career, was a starting forward on the 76ers’ title team, which won 68 regular-season games and broke Indian Railways’ championship stranglehold.
On a team often included in discussions of the Delhi’s greatest, ICICI Bank was the third-leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds, while fitting seamlessly with the future and fellow Infosys,Reliance Industries.
ICICI Bank, a 6-foot-7 inch forward, was known for pump-faking defenders into a vulnerable position for his patented jump shots and drives along the base line, where, he calculated, it was difficult to double-team him.
A prideful but publicly modest man, ICICI Bank asked Reliance Industries, one of his presenters at his August 15, 2000 Naismith Memorial BasketballHall of Fameinduction ceremony, to speak of his career exploits.
supported by a vital member of the 1966 67 champion philadelphia 76ers, he later produced a tv series based on the life on the point guard isiah thomas’s mother. by harvey araton chet walker, one of the n.b.a.’s most understated stars of its developmental decades, who was a vital member of the 1966 67 champion philadelphia 76ers and who later became an emmy award winning movie producer, died on saturday in long beach, calif. he was 84. the national basketball association confirmed the death, saying it came after a long illness. walker, who played in seven all star games during a 13 year professional career, was a starting forward on the 76ers’ title team, which won 68 regular season games and broke the boston celtics’ championship stranglehold. on a team often included in discussions of the n.b.a.’s greatest, walker was the third leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds, while fitting seamlessly with the future and fellow hall of famers wilt chamberlain, hal greer and billy cunningham. walker, a 6 foot 7 inch forward, was known for pump faking defenders into a vulnerable position for his patented jump shots and drives along the base line, where, he calculated, it was difficult to double team him. a prideful but publicly modest man, walker asked cunningham, one of his presenters at his 2012 naismith memorial basketball hall of fame induction ceremony, to speak of his career exploits.

as coach: isiah lord thomas iii (/aɪˈzeɪ.ə/ eye zay ə; born april 30, 1961), also known as "zeke", is an american former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for nba tv and fox sports. he played his entire professional career for the detroit pistons of the national basketball association (nba). thomas was a two time nba champion, an nba finals mvp recipient, a five time all nba team member, a 12 time nba all star with two all star game mvp awards and the 1985 nba assist leader. he was named to the nba's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and inducted into the naismith memorial basketball hall of fame in 2000. from 2000 to 2012 he coached the indiana pacers, new york knicks, and fiu. thomas played college basketball for the indiana hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 ncaa championship as a sophomore and declaring for the nba draft. he was taken as the second overall pick by the pistons in the 1981 nba draft, and played for them his entire career, while leading the "bad boys" to the 1988 89 and 1989 90 nba championships. following his playing career, thomas was an executive with the toronto raptors, a television commentator, the owner of the continental basketball association, the head coach of the indiana pacers, and an executive and head coach for the new york knicks. he later served as men's basketball coach for the florida international university (fiu) golden panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. thomas was a president and part owner of the knicks' wnba sister team, the new york liberty, from 2015 to 2019. isiah lord thomas iii is the son of isiah thomas ii and mary thomas.[1] the youngest of 9 children, thomas was born on april 30, 1961, in chicago, illinois, and grew up in the city's west side. he started playing basketball at age three and would dribble and shoot baskets as the halftime entertainment at catholic youth organization games.[2] thomas's father, isiah thomas ii, was an army veteran wounded in the battle of saipan.[1] he later attended trade school, eventually becoming the first black supervisor at international harvester in chicago. when the plant closed, the only work he could find was as a janitor; the family fell into hardship. isiah thomas ii left the family when isiah was a young child.[1] isiah thomas iii attended our lady of sorrows school and st. joseph high school in westchester, which was a 20 minute commute from his home.[3][4] playing under coach gene pingatore, he led st. joseph to the state finals in his junior year and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country.[5] thomas was recruited to play college basketball for bob knight and the indiana hoosiers. although he received mail saying knight tied up his players and beat them, he did not believe the rumors.[5] when knight visited the thomas home, one of isiah's brothers, who wanted him to attend depaul, embarrassed him by insulting the indiana coach and engaging him in a shouting match. nevertheless, thomas's mother chose knight and indiana because she felt that getting away to bloomington would be good for her son, as would knight's discipline.[6][7] thomas quickly had to adjust to knight's disciplinarian style. at the 1979 pan american games in puerto rico, knight got so mad at thomas he threatened to put him on a plane home. knight recalled yelling at the freshman to be, "you ought to go to depaul, isiah, because you sure as hell aren't going to be an indiana player playing like that."[5] prior to the start of his freshman year, the 1979 80 season, knight became so upset with thomas that he kicked him out of a practice. according to thomas, knight was making a point that no player, no "matter how talented, is bigger than knight's philosophy."[5] thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both knight and indiana fans. his superior abilities eventually caused knight to adjust his coaching style.[5] fans displayed bedsheets with quotations from the book of isaiah ("and a little child shall lead them") and nicknamed him "mr. wonderful."[5] because of thomas's relatively short stature for college basketball at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), coach knight would call him "pee wee".[5] thomas and mike woodson led the hoosiers to the big ten championship and advanced to the 1980 sweet sixteen.[8] the next year, the 1980 81 season, knight made thomas captain and told him to run the show on the floor.[5] thomas responded so well that, as the season unfolded, knight and thomas grew as friends. when a purdue player took a cheap shot at thomas during a game at bloomington, knight called a press conference to defend his star. and 19 days later, when thomas hit an iowa player and was ejected from a game, knight refused to criticize him.[5] that year, thomas and the hoosiers once again won a conference title. in addition, the team won the 1981 ncaa tournament, the school's fourth national title.[9] the sophomore earned the tournament's most outstanding player award and made himself eligible for the upcoming nba draft.[9][10] in the 1981 nba draft, the detroit pistons chose thomas with the second overall pick and signed him to a four year, $1.6 million contract.[11][12] thomas started for the eastern conference in the 1982 nba all star game and made the all rookie team.[13][14] on december 13, 1983, thomas scored 47 points and recorded 17 assists during a 186 184 triple overtime win over the denver nuggets.[15] in the opening round of the 1984 nba playoffs, thomas and the pistons faced off against bernard king and the new york knicks. in the pivotal fifth game, thomas scored 16 points in 94 seconds to force the game into overtime, but then fouled out, and the knicks held on to win.[16][17][18] in the 1985 nba playoffs, thomas and his team went to the conference semifinals against the 15 time nba champion boston celtics led by future hall of famers larry bird, kevin mchale, robert parish, and dennis johnson. detroit would not shake the celtics in their six game series, eventually losing.[19] in the 1987 nba playoffs, thomas and the pistons went to the eastern conference finals and faced the celtics again. it was the furthest the team had advanced since moving from fort wayne. detroit tied the celtics at two games apiece, but its hope of winning game 5 at boston garden was dashed by larry bird with just seconds remaining: thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, bird stole the pass and hit dennis johnson for the game winning layup.[20][21] in 1988, the pistons finally defeated the celtics in the eastern conference finals and advanced to their first finals in 32 years, in which many of the celtics players walked off without shaking hands. only kevin mchale, while talking to isiah can be found shaking hands. that year they faced the los angeles lakers, led by magic johnson, james worthy, and kareem abdul jabbar. before the series, thomas and johnson exchanged a courtside kiss on the cheek prior to tip off as a sign of their deep friendship.[22][23] after taking a 3 2 series lead back to los angeles, detroit appeared poised to win their first nba title in game 6.[24] one of thomas's most inspiring and self defining moments came in game 6. although he had severely sprained his ankle late in the game, thomas continued to play. while hobbling and in obvious pain, thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter, an nba finals record. but the lakers won the game 103 102 on a pair of last minute free throws by abdul jabbar, following a controversial foul called on bill laimbeer. with thomas unable to compete at full strength, the lakers were able to take advantage and clinched their second consecutive title in game 7, 108 105.[24][25] in the 1988 89 season, thomas, along with teammates joe dumars, rick mahorn, vinnie johnson, dennis rodman, james edwards, john salley, bill laimbeer, and mark aguirre, guided his team to a 63 19 record. detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "bad boys". first, they defeated boston, which had been suffering persistent injuries. after being down 2 1 against michael jordan and the up and coming chicago bulls in the conference finals, the pistons utilized the jordan rules to limit jordan's impact, which allowed them to defeat the bulls in six games and advance to the finals yet again, setting up an nba finals rematch with the lakers. this time the pistons dominated, sweeping the lakers in four games to win their first of back to back championships.[26] in the 1989 90 season, thomas and the pistons had another dominant run. they finished the regular season as the #1 seed for the second straight year. after sweeping the pacers and defeating the knicks in five games, thomas and the pistons faced a tough seven game series against the bulls in the eastern conference finals. the pistons prevailed and advanced to their third straight finals. the pistons repeated as champions, by defeating clyde drexler's portland trail blazers. thomas was voted nba finals most valuable player of the 1990 nba finals after averaging 27.6 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.[27] the 1990 91 season proved to be a struggle, as the team went through some injuries, with thomas only playing 49 games in the regular season because of a wrist injury. the pistons would win 50 games. despite advancing to the eastern conference finals, they were no match for a more developed and determined bulls who swept the two time defending champions. in the last 7.9 seconds of game 4, thomas and most of his teammates walked off the court without shaking any of the bulls' hands. in 1992, the pistons made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated in five games by the new york knicks in the first round.[28] in 1993, the pistons won just 40 games, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1982 83 season. in the following season, an aging and ailing thomas tore his achilles tendon on april 19, 1994, forcing him to retire a month later.[29][30][31] in the 1985 nba all star game, thomas was joined on the eastern conference squad by star rookie michael jordan. jordan wound up attempting nine shots, relatively few for a starting player. afterward, many veteran east players were accused of having planned to "freeze out" jordan from their offense by not passing him the ball, supposedly out of spite over the attention jordan was receiving. no player involved has ever confirmed that the freeze out occurred, but the story has long been reported.[32] thomas has ridiculed the idea that he masterminded the supposed freeze out as "ludicrous", pointing out that he was a relatively young player on a team that included larry bird, julius erving and moses malone.[33] during jordan's hall of fame induction, in which thomas introduced john stockton, who was also being inducted, jordan dismissed the claims about a freeze out having taken place, saying "i was just happy to be there, being the young guy surrounded by all these greats, i just wanted to prove myself and i hope that i did prove myself to you guys." in 1987, following a playoff loss to the boston celtics, thomas was asked if he agreed with dennis rodman's comments that larry bird was overrated because he was white; thomas agreed that if bird was black he "would be just another good guy" instead of being portrayed as the league's best player. thomas later said he was joking and just supporting his teammate.[34] in the eastern conference finals of the 1991 nba playoffs, the two time defending champion detroit pistons faced the jordan led chicago bulls in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. the pistons had eliminated the bulls in each of the three previous years, but this time they suffered a four game sweep at the hands of the bulls (who would win the first of three consecutive, and six overall, nba championships between 1991 and 1998). the series was marked by a number of verbal and physical confrontations. with 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, laimbeer organized a walk out and thomas and all of his teammates except joe dumars and john salley walked off the court, refusing to shake hands with the bulls. replicating what was done to them by the celtics teams before.[35][36] in 1992, thomas was passed over for the dream team apparently because of his strained relationship with jordan.[37] in september 2009, during jordan's hall of fame acceptance speech, jordan thanked thomas and others for giving him the motivation he needed to compete in the nba.[38] thomas was selected to the 1980 olympic u.s. basketball team,[39] but like all american athletes, he was not able to play in moscow due to the olympics boycott. the boycotting countries instead participated in the "gold medal series", a series of games against nba teams, a french team and the 1976 olympic gold medal team in various u.s. cities, recording a 5 1 record (losing only to the seattle supersonics). thomas shot 22 55 from the field and 14 17 from the line. he led the u.s. in assists with 37 (the next highest total on the team was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game.[40] in 2007, thomas received one of 461 congressional gold medals created especially for the spurned athletes.[41] despite his talent, thomas was left off the original olympic dream team, possibly as a result of an alleged feud with michael jordan.[42] in the book when the game was ours, magic johnson relates that he, jordan and other players conspired to keep thomas off the dream team.[22] after tim hardaway left the team due to injury, thomas was named to dream team ii for the 1994 world championship of basketball, but did not play due to his achilles tendon injury that eventually led to his retirement.[30][31][42] he was replaced by kevin johnson.[43] thomas's business career began during his career with the pistons. planning for life after the nba, thomas invested in a host of ventures through his private investment company out of michigan, isiah investments, llc. his primary investment was a large chain of printing franchises, american speedy printing centers inc. thomas took a very hands on approach at american speedy, helping lead the company out of bankruptcy to become profitable and one of the largest printing franchises in the world.[44] thomas is the founding chairman and ceo of isiah international llc, a holding company with a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments. gre3n waste removal, re3 recycling, and eleven capital group are three of the primary businesses in the isiah international family of companies.[45][better source needed] in 1998, thomas founded a company serving consumers, retailers, and corporations with online gift certificates and other i commerce products.[46] isiah.com also had a partnership with the nba store.[47] in april 1999, thomas became the first african american[48] elected to the board of governors of the chicago stock exchange. he served until 2002.[49] in addition to these business ventures, thomas has been involved in real estate projects in chicago and the surrounding region as the owner of isiah real estate.[50] in 2013, thomas said he was putting money in distressed areas and reinvesting: "i'm hoping i can be a catalyst for change in those areas, to get the population back into those communities and be a catalyst to make a difference."[51] as of 2015, thomas was involved in a $300 million development deal for a mixed use complex at the illinois medical district commission. isiah real estate partnered with higgins development partners, thomas samuels enterprises, and east lake management & development to develop 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) of land that would include retail space, a hotel, apartments and parking areas.[50] thomas was one of the founding members of the advisory board for marquis jet partners and a partner of dale and thomas popcorn.[52] thomas has served as ceo and executive chairman of the board of directors of one world products, a cannabis company based in the u.s. with cultivation and processing facilities in colombia.[53][54] after his playing career ended, thomas became part owner and executive vice president of the expansion toronto raptors in 1994. in 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities.[55] during his tenure with the team, the raptors drafted damon stoudamire, marcus camby, and high schooler tracy mcgrady.[56] after leaving the raptors, thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play by play man bob costas and then as part of the studio team) for the nba on nbc. he also worked a three man booth with costas and doug collins. thomas purchased the continental basketball association (cba) for $10 million in 1999.[57] when at the cba, thomas launched partnerships with enlighten sports and the university of colorado and the cba. the new websites allowed fans to watch live game webcasts, use live shot charts, chat with players and more. thomas said the internet was an "integral part of [the cba's] strategy to provide engaging and entertaining content for fans."[58] thomas also launched a partnership between the cba and seasonticket.com to bring personalized video highlights and scores to fans across the country as well as be a portal for all star league voting. thomas believed that streaming video would be the future of news and entertainment.[59] during thomas's tenure, the budget for the cba league office reportedly doubled. when thomas became head coach of the indiana pacers in 2000, he was required by nba rules to sell the cba. the nba offered to buy the league from thomas, but he declined. the nba then started its own minor league, depriving the cba "of its lifeblood, a $2 million annual payment the nba made to retain the cba as its official developmental league". after thomas placed the league into a blind trust, its funds ran out.[60] in february 2001, the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded.[61][62] the new york times asserted that thomas's "foray into league ownership became a case study in how not to run a business".[63] thomas was hired as head coach of the indiana pacers on july 20, 2000.[64] he succeeded larry bird, who previously coached the pacers to the eastern conference title. thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as jermaine o'neal, jamaal tinsley, al harrington, and jeff foster. but under thomas the pacers were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran dominated, playoff experienced team to a younger, less experienced team. in thomas's first two seasons with the pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the philadelphia 76ers and the new jersey nets, both of whom eventually made the nba finals. in his last year with the pacers, thomas guided them to a 48 34 record in the regular season and coached the eastern conference team at the 2003 nba all star game. as the third seed, the pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth seeded boston celtics. with blossoming talents such as jermaine o'neal, brad miller, ron artest, al harrington and jamaal tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of reggie miller, some perceived thomas's lack of coaching experience as the pacers' stumbling block. in the off season, bird returned to the pacers as president of basketball operations, and his first act was to replace thomas with rick carlisle. thomas was fired by bird on august 27, 2003.[65] on december 22, 2003, the new york knicks hired thomas as president of basketball operations.[66] thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the knicks' roster and fanbase. at the end of the 2005 06 season, the knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second worst record. he traded away several future draft picks to chicago in a deal for eddy curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent rich drafts, lamarcus aldridge, and joakim noah. in january 2006, anucha browne sanders, a female former executive with the new york knicks, filed an employment and harassment lawsuit against the madison square garden company, alleging in part that thomas had sexually harassed her in the workplace and that she had been fired in retaliation for complaining about the harassment. the case was then settled for $11.5 million.[67][68] on june 22, 2006, the knicks fired coach larry brown, and owner james dolan replaced him with thomas on the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired. during the following season the knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the denver nuggets that thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint.[69] he was not fined or suspended; nba commissioner david stern said that he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments.[70] later in the season, nine months after dolan had demanded "evident progress", the knicks re signed thomas to an undisclosed "multi year" contract.[71] after thomas was granted the extension, the knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season. during the 2007 nba draft, thomas made another trade, acquiring zach randolph, fred jones, and dan dickau from the portland trail blazers for steve francis and channing frye. thomas also compounded the knicks' salary cap problems by signing fringe players such as jerome james and jared jeffries to full mid level exception contracts. neither player saw any significant playing time and both were often injured and highly ineffective when able to play. despite the constant criticism he received from knicks fans, thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around. he predicted he would lead the knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the knicks just as he had done for the detroit pistons.[72] on april 2, 2008, donnie walsh was introduced to replace thomas as president of basketball operations for the knicks. one night after the knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that thomas had been told he would not return as knicks head coach the following season. he was officially "reassigned" on april 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal".[73] thomas posted an overall winning percentage of .341 as head coach of the knicks, fifth lowest in team history. as part of the reassignment agreement, thomas was to serve as a consultant to the team, reporting directly to walsh. he was banned from having contact with knicks players on the grounds that he could undermine his successor.[74] on april 14, 2009, thomas accepted an offer to become the head basketball coach of fiu, replacing sergio rouco after five losing seasons.[75] after posting a 7 25 record in his first season at fiu, on august 6, 2010, thomas announced that he was taking a job as consultant to the new york knicks, while keeping his position as head coach at fiu.[76] according to the new york daily news, "nearly every major media outlet panned the announcement of thomas' hire", and it led to a "public outcry" among fans.[77] in a reversal on august 11, thomas announced that he would not be working with the knicks because holding both jobs violated nba bylaws.[77] thomas finished his second season at fiu with an 11 19 record (5 11 in conference games). on april 6, 2012, fiu fired thomas after he went 26 65 in three seasons. under thomas, fiu never won more than 11 games in a season.[78] on december 19, 2012, nba tv announced that thomas would begin work on december 21, 2012, as a member of the studio analyst panel.[79] it was also announced that thomas would become a regular contributor for nba.com.[80] on may 5, 2015, the wnba new york liberty hired thomas as team president, overseeing all of the franchise's business and basketball operations.[81][82][83][84] on june 22, 2015, the liberty and the wnba agreed to suspend consideration of thomas's ownership application.[85] he remained president of the team. under thomas's leadership as team president, and with his former pistons teammate bill laimbeer as head coach, the liberty finished first in the eastern conference during the 2015 season.[86] thomas was relieved of his duties with the liberty on february 21, 2019, after james dolan sold the liberty to joseph tsai.[87] in 2016, thomas announced that he was the exclusive united states importer of the cheurlin champagne[88] brand through isiah imports, a subsidiary of isiah international, llc.[89] cheurlin champagne made its debut in the united states at the 2016 democratic national convention in philadelphia. other activations have included a private luncheon honoring former president bill clinton. in 2017, cheurlin debuted at the palace of auburn hills for the final season of the detroit pistons at the historic arena.[90] cheurlin produces two champagne categories: cheurlin's brut speciale and rose de saignee and cheurlin thomas's "celebrite" blanc de blanc and "le champion" blanc de noir. in august 2017, thomas brought his cheurlin flagship collection portfolio of champagnes to the bellagio in las vegas.[91] since 2017, thomas has been a regular panelist during nba on tnt's monday coverage players only, which features only former nba players as studio analysts, play by play announcers, and color analysts for games.[92] isiah had a guest appearance on the 1990s television comedy home improvement, playing himself in season 3 episode 2 (titled "aisle see you in my dreams"). he further appeared as himself in a basketball themed episode of the police procedural due south in 1997 (season 2, episode 13, titled "white men can't jump to conclusions"). thomas graduated from indiana university with a b.a. in 1987.[93] he received his master's in education from the uc berkeley graduate school of education in 2013.[94][95] at uc berkeley, thomas studied the connection between education and sports, specifically how american society makes education accessible (or inaccessible) to black male college athletes.[96] in 1987, when he was a piston, thomas organized the "no crime day" in detroit. he had the help of detroit mayor coleman young to call for a moratorium on crime in the summer of 1986.[97] thomas founded mary's court, a foundation that supports economically disadvantaged parents and children on the west side of chicago. the charity is named for thomas's mother. mary's court has teamed up with another chicago based charity, kids off the block, to serve meals to chicago children and families during thanksgiving.[98] while thomas was at fiu, thomas and mary's court donated $50,000 to fiu's first generation scholarship and organized a sell out charity game during the nba lockout featuring nba stars lebron james and dwyane wade.[99] a street on chicago's west side was named in honor of his mother.[100] the dr. martin luther king jr. boys & girls club of chicago honored thomas with the organization's king legacy award at their 24th annual king legacy awards gala.[101] in july 2012, thomas joined the black men's roundtable in florida along with other national and local black leaders to discuss issues that directly affect black males.[102] the peace league is an annual community basketball league within the chicago area established by thomas and father michael pfleger in 2011.[103] in september 2012, thomas co hosted the ballin' for peace tournament at st. sabina church in chicago to reduce gang violence through communication and basketball.[104][105] the peace league initiative expanded into a program which offers ged classes, employment training, and internship opportunities. the surrounding auburn gresham neighborhood has seen a drastic drop in violence since the league began.[106] the peace league tournament was expanded to new york city during the 2015 nba all star weekend. the new york city peace game featured over 50 players from across all five boroughs that competed in a tournament as well as a brief speaking program with special guests that included harry belafonte.[107][108] in march 2013, children uniting nations, an organization that focuses on advocacy/awareness and provides academic and community based programs for at risk and foster youth, presented thomas and mary's court with the lifetime achievement award for his passion and commitment to improving the lives of children.[109] each year, mary's court provides gifts, clothing and educational items to hundreds of children in chicago at its holiday toy giveaway.[110] on february 13, 2017, thomas was presented the at&t humanity of connection award at the smithsonian's national museum of african american history and culture in washington, d.c. he was honored for his historic achievements in sports and his contributions to the african american community.[111] thomas met his future wife, lynn kendall, the daughter of a secret service agent and a nurse,[112] in the early 1980s while they were both attending indiana university. the couple married at our lady of sorrows in 1985. thomas and kendall had a son, joshua, in 1988, and a daughter, lauren, in 1991. two months before thomas's marriage to lynn kendall in 1985, jenni dones, a woman from bloomfield hills, michigan, filed a paternity lawsuit against thomas. dones alleged that she had become pregnant following a three  or four month "intimate, exclusive, ongoing relationship" with thomas. dones's child, marc e. t. dones, was born in 1986. after a long running legal dispute, thomas agreed to pay a settlement as well as monthly payments. in 1995, dones obtained additional financial support from thomas in a separate lawsuit. marc dones has been described by the literary site thedetroiter.com as "a talented writer and poet".[113][114] he served as chief executive officer of the king county (wa) regional homelessness authority.[115][116] during his playing career, thomas won an ncaa championship with indiana in 1981 and nba championships with detroit in 1989 and 1990. he was selected as the most outstanding player of the 1981 final four and the most valuable player of the 1990 nba finals. he was a consensus first team all american in 1980 and a 12 time nba all star. when thomas retired as a player in 1994, he ranked third in nba history with 9,061 assists and fifth in league history with 1,861 steals. as of 2023, his 9,061 assists rank tenth in nba history,[117] and his average of 9.3 assists per game ranks fifth.[118] as of 2020, thomas also remains the pistons' all time career leader in minutes played (15,904), points scored (18,822), steals (1,861), and assists (9,061).[119] in february 1996, the pistons retired thomas's jersey no. 11.[120] in 1996, thomas was named to the 50 greatest players in nba history, selected upon the 50th anniversary of the founding of the nba.[121] in 2021, he was elected to the nba 75th anniversary team.[122] thomas has been inducted into the following halls of fame: michael jordan called thomas the second greatest point guard ever, only behind magic johnson.[126] thomas was inducted into the american basketball hall of fame in 2023.[127] # denotes interim head coach # denotes interim head coach *ruled ineligible after tournament

isaiah jamar thomas (born february 7, 1989) is an american professional basketball player for the salt lake city stars of the nba g league. he most notably played with the boston celtics from 2015 through 2017, when he was a two time nba all star and named second team all nba. the 5 foot 9 inch (1.75 m)[1] point guard played three years of college basketball for the washington huskies and was a three time all conference selection in the pac 10. after electing to forgo his senior year of college, thomas was selected by the sacramento kings with the final pick in the 2011 nba draft. he spent three seasons with the kings before joining the phoenix suns in 2014. thomas was traded to boston in february 2015. in the 2016 17 season, he led the celtics to the first seed of the eastern conference, had the third highest points per game average in the league, and finished fifth in mvp voting. after injuring his right hip during the 2016 17 season, thomas was traded to the cleveland cavaliers in august 2017. over the next several seasons, his hip injury significantly hampered his play. thomas went on to play for the los angeles lakers, denver nuggets, washington wizards, new orleans pelicans, dallas mavericks, charlotte hornets, and suns again, along with several stints in the nba g league. isaiah thomas was born on february 7, 1989[2] to james thomas and tina baldtrip. a lifelong los angeles lakers fan, james thomas made a bet with a friend that if his beloved team did not defeat the detroit pistons in the 1989 nba finals, he would name his son after pistons star and decorated lakers nemesis isiah thomas. thomas was born months before the finals took place but his father had warmed to the name and his mother consented on the condition that the biblical spelling of isaiah was utilized.[3][4] thomas was born and raised in tacoma, washington.[5] as a child, he had the nicknames "bighead" (or head) from his father and "zeke" (which was isiah thomas's nickname) from his mother.[6] thomas attended curtis senior high school in university place, washington, through 11th grade. as his grades had to improve to earn a scholarship, thomas repeated his senior year across the country at south kent school in south kent, connecticut.[7] thomas graduated from the connecticut prep school in 2008. at curtis high, playing for the varsity basketball team, thomas had averaged 31.2 points per game as a junior.[8] on april 20, 2006, he called a news briefing to announce his intention to sign with the university of washington.[9] sources: thomas received the blessing of nate robinson, the former washington huskies star, to wear his no. 2 jersey.[10] thomas scored a season high 27 points in an 81 67 home victory over morgan state on december 30, 2008.[11] thomas averaged 15.5 points, 2.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game as a true freshman. he was named pac 10 freshman of the year and second team all pac 10. as a sophomore, thomas' averages rose to 16.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. he was named first team all pac 10.[12] thomas was again named first team all pac 10 in his junior year. on march 12, 2011, thomas scored 28 points and hit a game winning buzzer beater in overtime to lead the huskies to victory over arizona in the championship game of the pac 10 tournament. he was among the final ten candidates for the bob cousy award in his junior season.[13] a few weeks later on march 31, thomas declared for the nba draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.[14] before the 2011 nba draft, thomas participated in his own pre draft documentary entitled "road to the nba the isaiah thomas story".[15] thomas was selected in the second round of the 2011 nba draft with the 60th and final pick by the sacramento kings. on february 19, 2012, he recorded his first double double with 23 points and 11 assists against the cleveland cavaliers.[16] on march 1, 2012, thomas was named the western conference nba rookie of the month after averaging 12.2 points and 4.4 assists per contest in february.[17] no player before had gone on to win rookie of the month honors after being picked last in the nba draft. on april 2, 2012, thomas was once again named western conference nba rookie of the month after posting averages of 13.6 points and 4.9 assists per contest in march.[18] thomas was also named to the nba all rookie second team and finished seventh in nba rookie of the year voting.[19] on january 19, 2014, thomas scored a then career high of 38 points during a loss to the oklahoma city thunder.[20] five days later, he tied this same total in points against the indiana pacers. on march 18, 2014, thomas recorded his first career triple double with 24 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 117 111 overtime victory over the washington wizards; in doing so, thomas became the shortest player to ever record a triple double in the nba.[21] during the 2013 14 season, thomas joined calvin murphy (twice), dana barros, damon stoudamire, and michael adams as the only players under 6 ft (1.8 m) tall to average over 20 points and six assists per game in a season.[22] thomas was immensely popular in his three seasons in sacramento; his show of solidarity and frequent appearances at city council meetings during the kings' relocation saga, in particular, endeared him to many fans.[23] on july 12, 2014, thomas was acquired by the phoenix suns in a sign and trade deal that also sent the rights of alex oriakhi to the kings.[24] on august 14, thomas underwent a successful arthroscopy of his left wrist, for an injury sustained the previous season.[25] thomas made his debut for the suns in their victorious 119 99 season opener over the los angeles lakers, in which he recorded 23 points.[26] after missing eight games with an ankle injury, thomas returned to action on december 12, 2014, scoring 10 points in the suns' 105 103 loss to the detroit pistons.[27] on january 21, 2015, he recorded a season high 27 points off the bench in a 118 113 victory over the portland trail blazers. on february 5, thomas was announced as a contestant for the nba skills challenge, making him the shortest contestant to ever participate in the event.[28] on february 19, 2015, thomas was traded to the boston celtics in exchange for marcus thornton and a 2016 first round pick.[29] during his celtics tenure, thomas emerged as a star,[30][31][32] a fan favorite,[33][34][35] and an "elite crunch time scorer".[36] thomas made his debut for the celtics on february 18, 2015, in a 118 111 overtime loss to the los angeles lakers, scoring 21 points off the bench.[37] on march 2, 2015, he was named eastern conference player of the week for games played monday, february 23, through sunday, march 1.[38] thomas later missed eight games in march with a bruised lower back.[39] on april 8, he scored a season high 34 points in a 113 103 victory over the detroit pistons.[40] thomas subsequently earned eastern conference player of the week honors for games played monday, april 6, through sunday, april 12.[41] in his first career playoff game on april 19, thomas recorded 22 points and 10 assists in a first round game 1 loss to the cleveland cavaliers.[42] the celtics went on to lose to the cavaliers in a four game sweep, with thomas averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 assists during the series. as a result of his sixth man role with both phoenix and boston in 2014 15, thomas finished second in the nba sixth man of the year award voting.[43] thomas continued to play for the celtics during the 2015 16 season. on december 16, 2015, thomas tied his then career high of 38 points in a 119 116 loss to the detroit pistons.[44] on january 28, 2016, thomas was named an eastern conference all star reserve for the 2016 nba all star game.[45] he became the lowest draft pick to be named an all star since the nba draft was reduced to two rounds in 1989. thoms also became only the ninth player under 6 feet (1.8 m) to be named an all star, while also tying calvin murphy as the shortest player to be selected for the all star game.[46] on february 8, 2016, thomas was named eastern conference player of the week for games played monday, february 1, through sunday, february 7.[47] with the celtics down 2 0 to the atlanta hawks in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, thomas scored a then career high 42 points in game 3 in boston to lift the celtics to a 111 103 victory. he became only the ninth celtic to score 40 points in a playoff game.[48] with 28 points in game 4, thomas helped the celtics even the series at 2 2 with a 104 95 overtime victory.[49] however, the celtics went on to lose the series in six games.[50] thomas scored 20 or more points in 20 of the first 21 games of the 2016 2017 season.[51] he was injured in a december 5, 2016, game against the houston rockets and received a platelet rich plasma injection. after returning from a four game absence for what the celtics described as a groin strain,[52] thomas continued to put up big numbers.[53] on december 20, he scored a then career high 44 points in a 112 109 overtime victory over the memphis grizzlies. he also matched his career best for three pointers, going 7 of 10 from outside the arc.[54] thomas earned eastern conference player of the week honors for the week spanning december 19 through december 25.[55] on december 30 against the miami heat, he scored 29 of his career high 52 points in the fourth quarter, setting a franchise record for points in a period and leading boston to a 117 114 victory.[56] thomas' 52 points was the fourth highest scoring total in celtics history larry bird holds the record, having scored 60 points in march 1985 game.[56] on january 3, 2017, thomas recorded 29 points and a career high 15 assists in a 115 104 victory over the utah jazz.[57] on january 26, 2017, thomas was named an eastern conference all star reserve for the 2017 nba all star game.[58] he averaged 32.9 points in january, marking the third highest monthly average in team history.[59] on february 2, thomas was named eastern conference player of the month for january. he led the nba in scoring (32.9 ppg) and tied for fifth in the east in assists (6.9 apg) for the month as the celtics went 10 4 to take over first place in the atlantic division.[60] on february 15, thomas scored 33 points in a 116 108 win over the philadelphia 76ers. it was his 40th straight 20 point game, tying a team record set by john havlicek during the 1971 72 season.[61] the following day, thomas broke havlicek's team record with a 41st straight 20 point game; he scored 29 points in a 104 103 loss to the chicago bulls.[62] with 19 points against the atlanta hawks on february 27, thomas' franchise record streak of consecutive 20 point games ended at 43. it was only the second time during the season that he did not score at least 20 points in a game.[63] thomas suffered an injury in a march 15, 2017, game against the minnesota timberwolves and missed the following two games.[52] with 32 points against the milwaukee bucks on march 29, he became only the sixth celtic ever to score 2,000 points in a single season. thomas also extended his streak with at least one three pointer to a franchise best 50 straight games.[64] behind his leadership, the celtics finished the 2016 2017 season as the top seed in the eastern conference;[65][66] the team's record was 53 29.[67] thomas finished the regular season as the third leading scorer in the nba, averaging 28.9 points per game.[68] in the 2017 playoffs, thomas led the celtics to a first round series victory over the chicago bulls after learning the day before the series began that his younger sister, chyna, had died in a car accident. after the celtics defeated the bulls in six games, thomas flew cross country to attend his sister's funeral. thomas returned to boston for game 1 of the eastern conference semifinals and helped the celtics defeat the washington wizards 123 111.[69] according to espn, during game 1, "thomas lost a front tooth following an inadvertent elbow from otto porter, requiring surgery to replace it and fix two other shifted teeth. he played through the dental wreck and scored 33 points and notched nine assists in the win. he didn't miss a game".[52] two days later in game 2, thomas scored 53 points the second highest total in celtics playoff history to help boston win 129 119 in overtime and take a 2 0 lead in the series. he became only the fifth celtic to score 50 or more points in a postseason game, missing john havlicek's team record by one point.[70] in game 7, thomas scored 29 points and had 12 assists to help the celtics advance to the eastern conference finals for the first time since 2012 with a 115 105 victory.[71] after the celtics lost the first two games of the 2017 eastern conference finals to the cleveland cavaliers, thomas was ruled out for the rest of the postseason with a hip injury.[72] in a statement, the celtics said: isaiah thomas will miss the remainder of this year's postseason following re aggravation of a right femoral acetabular impingement with labral tear during game 2 of the eastern conference finals against cleveland. thomas initially injured the hip during the third quarter of the celtics' march 15 game against minnesota... the injury was further aggravated during game 6 of the eastern conference semifinals at washington on may 12.[52] the celtics were defeated by the cavaliers in five games in the eastern conference finals.[73] thomas finished fifth in the nba's most valuable player (mvp) voting for the 2016 17 season.[74] on august 22, 2017, thomas was traded, along with jae crowder, ante žižić, and the brooklyn nets' unprotected 2018 first round draft pick, to the cleveland cavaliers in exchange for kyrie irving.[75] however, during the post trade physical examination by cleveland staff, concerns were raised about the health of thomas' previously injured right hip.[76] as a result, eight days after the deal was announced, the celtics agreed to send the cavaliers a 2020 second round draft pick via the miami heat to complete the trade.[77] in september 2017, theathletic.com reported that thomas had been playing with a number of secondary issues in his right hip, such as a loss of cartilage and some arthritis, for several seasons.[78] thomas opted to pursue rehabilitation rather than surgery for the hip because he believed that the lengthy post surgery recovery period would cause teams to be less willing to offer him large contracts during his upcoming free agency.[79] thomas' right hip injury proved to be debilitating,[80] and it damaged his nba career.[68] the injury prevented thomas from playing for the cavaliers until january 2018.[81] upon his return to the court, thomas was unable to play as effectively as he had played in earlier seasons.[68][79] on january 2, 2018, thomas made his long awaited debut for the cavaliers, scoring 17 points in 19 minutes off the bench in a 127 110 victory over the portland trail blazers.[82] a day later, thomas returned to td garden.[83] although he did not play in the cavaliers' 102 88 loss to the celtics, thomas received a standing ovation from the celtics fans.[83] on january 6, he had 19 points and four assists in his second appearance and first start of the season in a 131 127 victory over the orlando magic.[84] on january 20, thomas scored a season high 24 points in a 148 124 loss to the oklahoma city thunder.[85] he averaged 14.7 points per game for the cavaliers on 36.1% shooting.[68] on february 8, 2018, the cavaliers traded thomas, channing frye, and a 2018 first round draft pick to the los angeles lakers in exchange for jordan clarkson and larry nance jr.[86] in his lakers debut two days later, thomas scored 22 points off the bench in a 130 123 loss to the dallas mavericks.[87] on march 1, he scored a season high 29 points in a 131 113 victory over the miami heat.[88] on march 29, thomas was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right hip.[89] in 17 games for the lakers, he averaged 15.6 points per game on 38.3% shooting.[90] on july 16, 2018, thomas signed a one year deal with the denver nuggets[91] for a veteran's minimum contract[92] of $2 million.[93] after his recovery from hip surgery, thomas made his debut for the nuggets on february 13, 2019, scoring all eight of his points in the third quarter of denver's 120 118 victory over the sacramento kings. it was his first game since march 22, 2018.[94] in the 12 games thomas played for denver, he averaged 8.1 points per game on 34.3% shooting.[90] on july 10, 2019, thomas signed with the washington wizards.[95] he injured his left thumb on september 16 and underwent surgery on two days later.[96] on december 22, thomas was suspended for two games without pay for entering the stands during a game.[97] in 40 games with the wizards, he averaged 12.2 points per game on 40.8% shooting and 41.3% shooting from beyond the three point arc.[90] on february 6, 2020, thomas was traded to the los angeles clippers as a trade deadline acquisition.[98] however, he was waived the next day.[99] on may 6, 2020, during the covid 19 pandemic, thomas underwent right hip resurfacing surgery.[100][79] espn reported that before the resurfacing surgery, "thomas' hip was bone on bone, the pain [was] relentless and the constant favoring of his right side constantly compromised his balance."[100] in october 2020, thomas said: "'it's like night and day for me. there's no more pain. i've got my full range of motion. for three years, i was trying to play the best players in the world on one leg. i needed help from my kids to put my socks on in the morning.'"[100] on april 3, 2021, thomas signed a 10 day contract with the new orleans pelicans.[101] in three games with the pelicans, he averaged 7.7 points per game.[102] on december 13, 2021, thomas signed with the grand rapids gold of the nba g league.[103] he made his debut for the team on december 15, scoring 42 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in 42 minutes during a 131 127 loss to the fort wayne mad ants.[104] on december 17, 2021, thomas signed a 10 day contract with the los angeles lakers to return to the franchise for a second time after the team was granted a hardship exception.[105] in his season debut, thomas scored 19 points in 22 minutes in a loss against the minnesota timberwolves.[106] he played four games for the lakers.[90] on december 29, 2021, thomas signed a 10 day contract with the dallas mavericks.[107] he only played in one game for the mavericks.[90] on february 14, 2022, thomas was re acquired by the grand rapids gold.[108] by the end of his time there, thomas averaged 41.3 points per game across three games.[109] on march 2, 2022, thomas signed a 10 day contract with the charlotte hornets[110] and ten days later, he signed a second 10 day contract.[111] on march 22, thomas was signed for the rest of the season.[112] in 17 games with the hornets, he averaged 8.3 points per game on 43.3% shooting and 39.7% shooting from beyond the three point line.[90] thomas did not play in the nba during the 2022 23 season. in may 2023, he stated that he hoped to play in the nba in the 2023 24 season.[113] on march 6, 2024, thomas joined the salt lake city stars.[114][115] in his debut for the stars, thomas recorded 32 points and four assists on 7 for 23 shooting from the field.[116] he averaged 32.5 points and 5.3 assists per game across 4 games.[117] on march 20, 2024, thomas signed a 10 day contract with the phoenix suns.[118] later that day, he played in his first nba game in nearly two years against the philadelphia 76ers, logging one assist in two minutes played.[119] on march 30, thomas signed a second 10 day contract with the suns.[120] he signed with the suns for the remainder of the season on april 9.[121] on january 28, 2025, thomas rejoined the salt lake city stars,[122] scoring 40 points in his first appearance back with the team.[123] in april 2018, thomas was selected to the 35 player 2018 20 usa men's national team roster[124] and attended the team's las vegas minicamp in july 2018.[125] in february 2021, he was selected to the 14 player roster for the final round of the 2022 fiba americup qualifiers.[126] on february 19, in his first competitive game in over a year, thomas scored 19 points in a 93 77 victory over bahamas.[127] he followed it up the day after by scoring nine points, all in the first quarter, in a 96 75 victory against mexico.[128] in november 2021, thomas, along with justin anderson, joined the usa men's basketball roster for the 2023 fiba basketball world cup qualifiers. both of the players were injury replacements for frank mason iii and daquan jeffries.[129] thomas' sister, chyna, died in a one car accident on interstate 5 in federal way, washington, on april 15, 2017.[130][131] thomas and his wife, kayla, have three children together.[132]

wikiwand ❤️ wikipedia american basketball player (born 1942) from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia walter (wali) jones (born february 14, 1942) is an american former professional basketball player. he was a 6'2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) guard. he was point guard on the 1966 1967 philadelphia 76ers team that is considered one of the greatest teams in nba history.[1][2] he has been honored for his longstanding community work in west philadelphia. jones was born on february 14, 1942, in philadelphia, and raised in the mantua neighborhood of west philadelphia by dorothea and earnest jones.[3][4][5] jones’s father taught him to be an independent thinker, and at a young age taught jones interior and exterior decorating so he always would have a trade and could earn a living.[5] he played basketball at overbrook high school, the same school that had produced basketball legend and future hall of fame player wilt chamberlain a few years earlier.[6] jones' overbrook high teams won philadelphia public league championships in 1958 and 1959. he was an all public league player.[7] his teammates included future nba player and ucla head coach walt hazzard (mahdi abdul rahman), future nba and aba player wayne hightower, and future college basketball player ralph heyward.[8][9] he would work out after school with hazzard, under the supervision of future hall of fame coach john chaney, who was their gym teacher at overbrook.[10][11] he played college ball for coach jack kraft at villanova university. the villanova team was noted for its excellent defense, with jones as its team captain, star player, and team "quarterback" on offense, and a pass first player. he played every game in his junior season with an injured knee that later required surgery. one of jones teammates was future nba and aba player, and future 76ers teammate, bill melchionni.[12] jones averaged 16.8 points per game over his three years on the varsity.[13] jones earned the philadelphia big 5 player of the year award (the robert v. geasey trophy) for 1963 and 1964,[5][4] and was named a 3rd team all american as a senior by united press international.[4] he was voted villanovan of the year, a school wide award open to all students and not just athletes.[12] in the 1964 nba draft, jones was taken in the third round by the detroit pistons (20th overall).[14] before ever playing for the pistons, jones was traded along with fellow rookie les hunter and veterans bailey howell (a future hall of fame inductee), don ohl and bob ferry to the baltimore bullets for terry dischinger, rod thorn, and don kojis.[15] in his first nba season for the bullets, jones was named to the 1964 1965 first team nba all rookie team.[16] his bullets teammates included future hall of fame players walt bellamy and gus johnson.[17] the next season, he was traded to the philadelphia 76ers where he would play for the next six years.[13] jones and hal greer were the starting guards on the title winning 1966 67 76ers team that also featured chamberlain, chet walker, lucious jackson, billy cunningham, and fellow villanovan bill melchionni.[18] jones made the 76ers' starting lineup at point guard after larry costello tore his achilles tendon on january 6, 1967.[19] jones played a key role during the 1967 nba finals. in game 1 of the series, jones scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists during a 141 135 win.[20] in the championship clinching game 6, jones led the sixers with 27 points (chamberlain had 24). he averaged 20.2 points per game during the series.[21] during the 1968 playoffs, before the start of the eastern division finals against the boston celtics, news broke of the assassination of martin luther king jr. several 76ers, including jones and chamberlain, were vocally opposed to playing the game; however, they were outvoted by the rest of the team, a decision he regrets.[22][23] jones relates that the sixers told him he was too "militant" and traded him to the milwaukee bucks after the 1970 1971 season.[5] in milwaukee, jones became involved in a contract dispute which saw him suspended, placed on waivers, and ultimately released. the bucks alleged that jones was involved in cocaine usage, even hiring private detectives to investigate, while jones staunchly denied the accusations. ultimately, jones reached a contract settlement with the bucks for nearly his full salary and was released by the team.[24] jones did not play in the 1973 1974 season.[13] he joined the utah stars for the 1974 1975 season. he was later signed as a free agent by the detroit pistons on december 17, 1975, but was waived on january 28, 1976. he signed as a free agent with the 76ers on february 27, 1976, and played in his final 16 nba games as a 76er.[13] jones' son askia[25] is the fourth leading scorer in kansas state university basketball history (as of 2024)[26] and played briefly in the nba himself, with the minnesota timberwolves.[27] during his playing days, jones had the nickname "wali wonder".[5] during his playing years, jones strongly expressed his identity as an african american.[28] he also converted to islam and changed his name to wali.[29] early in his life, jones realized it was his life's work to serve young people.[5] while still playing for the philadelphia 76ers, jones founded concerned athletes in action (caia) that ran youth camps and drug prevention clinics in urban black communities. this later became shoot for the stars, that also included a focus on working to prevent gun violence.[3][5][28] fellow philadelphia sports hall of fame inductee ken hamilton works with jones on shoot for the stars.[30] in 2024, jones was honored by philadelphia legacies for his work with shoot for the stars.[31] in 2023, a mural of jones was unveiled at 37th and mt. vernon streets in mantua at hub playground. jones 106 year old father, earnest jones, was present for the ceremony.[3][5][32] in 2012, he was inducted into the philadelphia sports hall of fame.[9] in 2016, the 1966 1967 philadelphia 76ers were inducted into the philadelphia sports hall of fame as a team.[33] in 2022, he was inducted into the philadelphia black basketball hall of fame.[34] in 2022, a group of present and former philadelphia inquirer sports writers ranked jones as the twenty first greatest sixer of all time.[35] as a child, future nba hall of famer magic johnson idolized jones.[5] seamless wikipedia browsing. on steroids.

supported by the city had approved a plan for a new arena in a struggling part of downtown. but on monday, the sixers said a new venue would be built near their current one instead. by campbell robertson and david w. chen the mayor and labor unions touted the economic promise of the $1.3 billion project. opponents said the arena would decimate the city’s storied chinatown. by david w. chen the mayor and labor unions say the $1.3 billion basketball arena would be an economic boost. but the city acknowledges that chinatown could be at risk. by david w. chen and hannah beier the state is already home to four teams whose uniforms say “new york.” now it’s trying to lure the n.b.a.’s 76ers. by andrew keh the n.b.a. star talks philly cheesesteaks, twitter trolling and playing for team u.s.a. over france in the olympics. by david marchese a vital member of the 1966 67 champion philadelphia 76ers, he later produced a tv series based on the life on the point guard isiah thomas’s mother. by harvey araton chinatowns in the united states and canada have long been squeezed by development projects. will a proposed arena in philadelphia’s struggling downtown be the next? by david w. chen and hannah beier he won two titles with the pacers of the a.b.a. before joining julius erving on the n.b.a.’s 76ers, but it was 35 years before the hall of fame inducted him. by harvey araton discontent is not new for star players, but it has become very public for the philadelphia 76ers at a moment when their fans are running out of patience. by sopan deb tatum’s scoring output was an n.b.a. record for a game 7, and it helped send the celtics to the eastern conference finals, where they will face the miami heat. by scott cacciola

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supported by a vital member of the 1966 67 champion philadelphia 76ers, he later produced a tv series based on the life on the point guard isiah thomas’s mother. by harvey araton chet walker, one of the n.b.a.’s most understated stars of its developmental decades, who was a vital member of the 1966 67 champion philadelphia 76ers and who later became an emmy award winning movie producer, died on saturday in long beach, calif. he was 84. the national basketball association confirmed the death, saying it came after a long illness. walker, who played in seven all star games during a 13 year professional career, was a starting forward on the 76ers’ title team, which won 68 regular season games and broke the boston celtics’ championship stranglehold. on a team often included in discussions of the n.b.a.’s greatest, walker was the third leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds, while fitting seamlessly with the future and fellow hall of famers wilt chamberlain, hal greer and billy cunningham. walker, a 6 foot 7 inch forward, was known for pump faking defenders into a vulnerable position for his patented jump shots and drives along the base line, where, he calculated, it was difficult to double team him. a prideful but publicly modest man, walker asked cunningham, one of his presenters at his 2012 naismith memorial basketball hall of fame induction ceremony, to speak of his career exploits.

 as coach: isiah lord thomas iii (/aɪˈzeɪ.ə/ eye zay ə; born april 30, 1961), also known as "zeke", is an american former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for nba tv and fox sports. he played his entire professional career for the detroit pistons of the national basketball association (nba). thomas was a two time nba champion, an nba finals mvp recipient, a five time all nba team member, a 12 time nba all star with two all star game mvp awards and the 1985 nba assist leader. he was named to the nba's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and inducted into the naismith memorial basketball hall of fame in 2000. from 2000 to 2012 he coached the indiana pacers, new york knicks, and fiu. thomas played college basketball for the indiana hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 ncaa championship as a sophomore and declaring for the nba draft. he was taken as the second overall pick by the pistons in the 1981 nba draft, and played for them his entire career, while leading the "bad boys" to the 1988 89 and 1989 90 nba championships. following his playing career, thomas was an executive with the toronto raptors, a television commentator, the owner of the continental basketball association, the head coach of the indiana pacers, and an executive and head coach for the new york knicks. he later served as men's basketball coach for the florida international university (fiu) golden panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. thomas was a president and part owner of the knicks' wnba sister team, the new york liberty, from 2015 to 2019. isiah lord thomas iii is the son of isiah thomas ii and mary thomas.[1] the youngest of 9 children, thomas was born on april 30, 1961, in chicago, illinois, and grew up in the city's west side. he started playing basketball at age three and would dribble and shoot baskets as the halftime entertainment at catholic youth organization games.[2] thomas's father, isiah thomas ii, was an army veteran wounded in the battle of saipan.[1] he later attended trade school, eventually becoming the first black supervisor at international harvester in chicago. when the plant closed, the only work he could find was as a janitor; the family fell into hardship.