Isaiah Thomas still may harbor some resentment for the Boston Celtics’ front office after they traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But he has nothing but love for his former teammates, and when one of them was in need, Thomas was quick to come to his aid.
In November, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown endured the death of one of his best friends, Trevin Steede. And although Brown turned in a signature performance against the Golden State Warriors the day after Steede died, the 21-year-old obviously was still hurting. He even missed a game against the Indiana Pacers later that week after attending Steede’s funeral.
During an appearance Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich,” Celtics present of basketball operations Danny Ainge revealed that Brown found support from Thomas, whose sister, Chyna Thomas, died in April 2017.
“In November, I sent (Thomas) a text thanking him for his help with Jaylen, when Jaylen lost his friend,” Ainge said, via 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Isaiah had reached out to Jaylen and had given him some help, and just talked with him as his as a friend, and someone who’s been through this before — lost a loved one.
“And I just wrote a note of appreciation to Isaiah.”
Brown confirmed his exchange with Thomas while speaking to reporters Tuesday.
“Isaiah is like my big bro,” Brown said, via ESPN.com. “Especially when my friend passed, Isaiah was one of the first people to reach out to me. I give him a lot of credit for helping me come to peace with things. Isaiah was a big help with that. Just talking and texting me. With Isaiah, it’s beyond basketball.”
A lot of people — especially Thomas — have said a lot of things since Boston shipped the point guard to Cleveland in August. But it’s important to remember that Thomas isn’t kidding when he says he “loves” his former team and teammates.
