Isiah Thomas lands prominent job with NBA contender

February 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NBA former player Isiah Thomas during NBA All Star Saturday Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Isiah Thomas has officially returned to the NBA ranks.

Chris Haynes of TNT reported on Tuesday that the Phoenix Suns and their new owner Mat Ishbia intend to hire the retired Hall of Fame point guard Thomas. Haynes adds that Thomas will have a “prominent” role in the Phoenix front office alongside general manager James Jones.

After his successful playing career with the Detroit Pistons in which he won two NBA titles and made 12 All-Star teams, Thomas went on to have several different roles with multiple NBA franchises. He was part-owner and vice president for the expansion Toronto Raptors from 1994 to 1998, served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 2000 to 2003, and then became the president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks before taking over as their head coach in 2006.

Thomas’ tenure in The Big Apple was a disastrous one for far more reasons than one however. Since being fired by the Knicks in 2008, Thomas had yet to get another job in the NBA (other than serving in broadcasting roles).

We hadn’t heard much from Thomas in recent years other than his incessant grumbling about nemesis Michael Jordan. But Thomas now makes a pretty stunning return to the NBA world as Ishbia, who was officially approved as the Suns’ new owner earlier this week, looks to make his mark on the league.