Former Sacramento Kings rookie Isaiah Thomas says Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry gave him trouble when he first entered the NBA. It was a “welcome to the league” moment for the last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, an experience every rookie endures while navigating through their first 82-game season.
As a guest on the Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles podcast, Thomas said a young Curry and the up-and-coming Warriors gave him grief, per the Players’ Tribune’s X, formerly Twitter, account.
“It was [Steph] Curry for sure. They had that Bay area little rivalry, and when I first got to the league, Curry, [and] they Warriors wasn’t really good,” Thomas said. “They were like on the fence of being good. That was one, that was a tough one. But we had our battles. We had our battles, but yeah, he got me. He got me a few times until I started to slowly figure it out. Then, my opportunity came more. That was the thing. He was getting me, and I couldn’t get back at him. He’d get me a few [times], then I’m getting subbed out type of thing.
“So, once my opportunity started coming, I started to get my get back. But yeah, Steph was definitely one of the guys that got me.”
The 5-foot-7 guard played three seasons with the Kings before he was dealt to the Phoenix Suns via a sign-and-trade. Then, a mid-season trade to the Boston Celtics changed Thomas’ career in 2015. Isaiah rose to become an All-Star with the Celtics in 2015-16. He finished fifth in voting for the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2017 before guiding the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, after Game 2, he was ruled out of the best-of-seven series due to a hip injury that would forever change the trajectory of Thomas’ NBA career.
Kings invite Isaiah Thomas to off-season workout
Following his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, Thomas wasn’t the same All-Star-caliber guard he was when he played for the Celtics, but he set out to prove he could still impact an NBA roster and have a place in the association. After two 10-day contracts, Thomas finished the regular season and entered the playoffs with the Phoenix Suns in 2024 but is now a free agent looking to latch onto a new team.
Thomas had an off-season workout for the Kings alongside free agents Lonnie Walker IV, Tony Bradley, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, according to Seaon Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento.
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