I don't think anyone could handle the ball like him. The playoff game against the Lakers where he played basically on one leg, and almost won the thing by himself was just unreal.

Tough, fiercely competitive, maybe the best "little" man to play the game.

A seven alarm disaster in the front office, however.

As an executive, Thomas was the affirmative-action nightmare- and unqualified, pompous, corrosive, arrogant African-American figure who was so over his head he deserved every once of ridicule he deserved. . .but it's easy to forget his greatness as a player. . .tough as nails and perhaps the greatest NBA player ever under 6 feet. . .showed up in the playoffs, played hurt, and won titles. . .an absolute prick and the ultimate competitor. . .too bad those characteristics ruined his front-office career that was probably a mistake to ever begin. . .

One of the best of his time. Won enough to earn his five star.

Hands down the greatest PG of all time on BOTH ends of the floor.  He had the biggest heart of them all, and came to play.  Do not mismatch his after b-ball career with the on court one.  A shame that he wasn't on the Dream Team, its a travesty.

Not the best Point Guard ever but without a doubt the toughest!

very good, but definitely not great. not in the same class as magic, oscar robertson or john stockton.

The best point guard and playmaker in all nba history with 2 titles nba. NBA All-Rookie Team (1982) All NBA First-Team (1984, 1985, 1986) All NBA Second-Team (1983, 1987) NBA Championships with the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990) NBA Finals MVP, 1990 (27.6 ppg, 7.0 apg, 5.2 rpg) 12-time NBA All-Star (1982-1993) All-Star Game MVP in 1984 (following a 21-point, 15 assist outing) and in 1986 (following a 30- point, 10 assist game) Ranks fourth in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg) Ranks ninth in NBA history in steals (1,861) All-time leading scorer in Detroit Pistons history (18,822, 19.2 ppg), 28th in NBA history upon retirement and currently 34th best in NBA history Scored a career-high 47 points against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 13, 1983 All-time assist holder (9,061) in Detroit Pistons history Averaged 19.2 ppg in 979 regular season games and 20.4 ppg in 111 playoff games Holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most points in one quarter with 25 (June 19, 1988 vs. Los Angeles Lakers) Holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most field goals in one quarter with 11 (June 19, 1988 vs. Los Angeles Lakers) Shares NBA Finals single-game record for most field goals in one half with 14 (June 19 vs. Los Angeles Lakers) Dished out 25 assists against the Washington Bullets on Feb. 7, 1985 and versus the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, 1985 NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

Great great great .... magnifico .... ISIAH ... u r the best ! i'll never forget how great u were.

Zeke is more valued in the black community. As a street nig myself I loved him.

innovater who hasnt gotten the recognition that is truly deserved-one of the top three pg's of all time-a true leader

If only he could coach as well as he played. He is gone!!!! YES!

Another egomaniac corporate bum like Jordan!

Great player, but only gets a three because I honestly think that Dumars was THE championship-caliber guy on that team. Dumars was complete player who was a two-time defensive player of the year and is thought of as the greatest 2-guard of all time. Not bad for a guy who was the defensive leader on the greatest defensive basketball team of all time. He was the guy who slowed and a few times stopped the great Michael Jordan; sending the Bulls home in the playoffs three years in a row. This guy was a decent scorer, too (usually averaging between 17 to 21 PPG a season. What seperated this performer from some of the marketing clowns of the past (Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Reggie Miller, and a few others) and today (Jason Kidd)? His ability to play not only at the same level when a championship is on the line, but to even outperform himself. The year they swept the Lakers, he averaged 17 PPG in the regular season. All he did in the Finals is average a measley 27 PPG and take home MVP. That, my friends is real basketball. It's not flashy, it just sends the opposition home empty handed. Thomas, on the other hand was an excellent point guard who also scored and accumulated steals. But, Dumars was the most important guy on that team.

Isiah is one of the most UNDERRATED players of all time. He has all the hardware to prove that he's in very elite class. Quote Chuck Daly "If he were five inches taller, we're talking about the greatest player in the history of basketball, no questions asked." He's with out question the best ever under 6'5". He was simply amazing on the court!

Always a whiney little bitch.

He's a little bitch.

very over rated

An enormous player. He led his team to back-to-back championships. Once in a playoff game against the Knicks, he erupted for an astounding 16 points in approximately 92 seconds.

I was watching the NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this past weekend and it reminded me of how special of a ballplayer he was. This guy could handle the basketball better than anyone since Bob Cousy. And, he was an incredible clutch player. Some of his biggest games came in the playoffs including scoring 16 or so points in the final minute and a half against the Knicks and blowing up against the Lakers in the Finals with a badly sprained ankle. But, what I think may be most impressive was how great of a leader he was. He won on every level and always backed up his teammates. This was most evident back when the Pistons were still making a name for themselves and a young Dennis Rodman made a ridiculous comment about how Larry Bird wouldn't get as much recognition if he weren't white. Instead of ignoring the situation or blasting him, Isiah (even if he didn't agree with Rodman) spoke out about how Rodman had made a good point and that took all of the focus off of Rodman and put the heat squarely on Isiah's shoulders. Of course, Rodman would not learn from that mistake, but I digress... I think Isiah will do some good things as an NBA coach.

The greatest point guard ever.