“How does Isaiah Thomas keep going?” Many Celtics fan ask that question. He’s #4 on the Celtics and the point guard. Thomas lost his beloved younger sister Chyna, who was killed in a car accident in their hometown of Tacoma, Washington. It happened two weeks ago, which was the start of the 2017 playoffs.
When Thomas found out the horrific news, all he wanted to do was quit the game he loves. He was the one who led the Celtics to win the first round against the Chicago Bulls after learning that his sister was killed in a tragic accident. After the Celtics won the series 4-2, he attended his sister’s funeral.
At the funeral, Thomas stated, “I realized quitting isn’t an option. That’s the easy way out. I will keep going for my sister, as I know she wouldn’t want me to stop.”
He seemed to be keeping his emotions bottled up, but over this past weekend he was showing how he was feeling. He continued to have an amazing performance during the game on Sunday, April 30, where the Celtics won 123-111 against the Washington Wizards. Thomas was the leader of the game with 33 points and nine assists. During the game, Thomas lost a tooth, but he kept going. Nothing was going to stop him, and he was joking about how the tooth was “holding him back.”
Jae Crowder stated of Thomas, “He’s a fighter,” and, “He’s just going to keep playing no matter what.” 
The 28-year-old played on the Sacramento Kings from 2011-2014, the Phoenix Suns 2014-2015, and has been playing for the Celtics since 2015. He’s a two-time NBA All-star in 2016 and 2017. Thomas also did well when he played for his college team, the Washington Huskies. He had a career average of .426 field goal percentage, .736 free throw percentage, .1 blocks per game and points per game were 16.4. Throughout the 2016-2017 career with the Celtics, he has had a career high of .463 field goal percentage, .909 free throw percentage, .2 blocks per game, and 28.9 points per game.
Thomas is a player that will keep on going no matter what happens. That is some true devotion and dedication to the game that he loves. Anyone would have been absolutely in shock to hear that his or her loved one has passed, but this is where Thomas is different and decided to continue doing what he does best. We need to have more players like this. Thomas recently stated that he is in a tough position right now, and since it is the playoffs, he believes that there are no excuses. He wanted to play, he gave his team his all, and they won. Thomas will not be playing tonight because he has to have some dental surgery to help his tooth situation (poor guy). Prayers for Thomas and his family during this extremely difficult time, he’s one of the strongest-minded athletes out there.