NBA star Isaiah Thomas bids thankful goodbye to LA Lakers after 10-day contract ends

National Basketball Academy star Isaiah Thomas took to his official Instagram handle on Tuesday and bid adieu to the Los Angeles Lakers, thanking the team for allowing him to play in the current season. Thomas went from being a runner-up in the MVP race to not finding a home for himself to play, due to the circumstances he has faced in the past few seasons. However, with many players entering NBA’s Covid-19 protocols, teams began to sign players on short-term contracts and Lakers were quick to rope in the two-time all-star on a 10-day contract. However, the Lakers decided not to re-sign 32-year-old after he appeared in four games for the Lakers in his short second stint.

How did Isaiah Thomas perform for the Lakers?

The NBA veteran started one game out of the four he played and returned with the best performance of 19 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 18. He averaged 9.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG on 30.8% shooting from the field, and 22.7% from the 3-point line in four matches. Meanwhile, his most disappointing outing came against the Phoenix Suns, where he scored 13 points in total while playing for 26 minutes. Even though things didn’t fall in place as he would have liked it, Thomas was grateful to the Lakers for giving him an opportunity.

Isaiah Thomas' NBA career

Isaiah Thomas is widely remembered for his time playing for the Boston Celtics, specifically in the 2016-17 season, when he averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. However, his hip injury ruined his performance in the league and he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2017-18 NBA season, where he averaged 15.6 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. He went on to join the Lakers for the next season and returned with similar stats before getting traded across teams like Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizard, and New Orleans Pelicans.

Ever since his numbers dipped in the NBA, he was soon seen playing in numerous private tournaments, where he returned with 81 and 65 points performance within a space of a week in the Crawsover pro-am league. He scored 42 points in total during his NBA G-league debut, where it was reported that the two-time all-star is being worked out by teams like Golden State Warriors and Lakers. The health and safety protocols due to the Covid-19 virus then led Thomas to be suited up for the Lakers.

(Instagram Image: @lakers)