Shortly after Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Fox Sports 1’s Chris Broussard reported on the network’s Undisputed show that executives he spoke with believe the point guard wasn’t the most well-liked person in the Boston Celtics’ locker room.
Former boys in green Jared Sullinger, currently out of the NBA, and Kelly Olynyk, now of the Miami Heat, would like to contest that:
This Preposterous! #RealOne https://t.co/F7qlWSgd9v
— Kelly Olynyk (@KellyOlynyk) August 23, 2017
Lies lies and More Lies!!! Smfh. Y'all better than that! https://t.co/XVcBelKDkA
— Jared Sullinger Sr. (@Jared_Sully0) August 23, 2017
As a refresher, he’s what Broussard relayed (h/t Bleacher Report):
I will tell you this: I spoke to several executives or texted with several executives last night. And a lot of them were saying that a lot of the players in Boston really weren’t that fond of Isaiah. We know he had those problems in Sacramento and in Phoenix. I didn’t know he was having those issues, according to these executives, in Boston. He is known as a headstrong guy, he’s got a huge ego, they say he’s got the Napoleon complex, he always has that chip on his shoulder.
Leaking information about a player who is no longer with the team remains a tradition as old as NBA trades. Even though Thomas was often cited as the team’s emotional bellwether, even though they turned to him during recruiting efforts for Al Horford and Kevin Durant, even though he played a game for the team after his sister, Chyna, passed away, he wasn’t well-liked. Right. Sure. Whatever.
Olynyk is uniquely qualified to deny this report. He played with Thomas for the past two-plus seasons, including the most recent one, giving him a leg up on Sullinger’s credibility—which, as a teammate of Thomas’ for more than a year, is also strong.
Maybe there were times when Thomas’ ego rattled those around him. That happens. Adults get rankled when they’re in closed quarters for this long. But the idea that Thomas was somehow a locker-room rancor or anything close to it, after all he did with Boston, just feels off.
As in: just plain wrong.
