Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, at 5-foot-9, quite literally looks up to most NBA players. But the Celtics’ offseason pursuit of Kevin Durant allowed Thomas to look up to one of the world’s most famous athletes — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Thomas talked at Celtics media day Monday about his first impressions of Brady, who joined the team for their meeting with Durant in the Hamptons this summer.
“Coolest dude I’ve ever met. He is just so cool,” Thomas said to 98.5 The Sports Hub. “I was expecting him to be different. A lot of great players are kind of (not very nice). He answered every question I had and a was a fan of mine, too. He was a great dude.
“I asked him about his eating ways, how he’s playing at such a high level at such an older age. He answered every question, had questions for us about basketball, how we go about our days on game day and how we scout other teams. I asked him about when he hikes the ball, ‘What are you looking at?’Â He explained it and was very friendly.”
Brady often avoids the spotlight away from the football field, so getting a sense of his personality isn’t easy. But Brady’s presence at the Celtics’ Durant recruitment meeting allowed Thomas to gain perspective on the polarizing quarterback.
“You only see snippets of what he does,” Thomas said. “You can’t really define who he is by what you see on TV or in the media. He was super cool, and I didn’t think he was going to be like that. We text every few weeks — that’s crazy, right? He is someone I can reach out to about anything.”
Brady and the Patriots set a high standard of success for teams in Boston. But after averaging 22.2 points per game and leading his team to 48 wins, Thomas and the Celtics are aiming to be among the NBA’s elite teams this season.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
