BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas’ sneakers Monday night were more than just a homage to the Boston Celtics’ historic colors.
In fact, he’s had them for a few years.
The now-Denver Nuggets guard played at TD Garden on Monday for the first time since being traded from the Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers during Summer 2017. A tribute video was played for him during the first quarter, which was met with a massive ovation — something Thomas expressed great appreciation for after the game.
But it was hard to miss the green and gold sneakers Thomas was wearing with his white Nuggets uniform.
Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
After the game, Thomas was asked about the sneakers, and it turns out there’s a pretty wild story behind them.
“You know what’s crazy?” Thomas said. “Those green and gold sneakers were for the finals the last year I was here. I always kept those, I’ve got a couple other pairs too, but those were made for the NBA Finals. And, you know, we lost to the Cavs.
“I haven’t worn them in a game,” Thomas continued. “But I knew coming back here and I was going to wear something Celtics green.”
Thomas admitted that he keeps quite a few of his sneakers, so it wasn’t too big a deal that he still had those. However, it was a pretty cool use of those shoes for the first time.
