In May, the Boston Celtics reunited with legendary guard Isaiah Thomas by hiring the former two-time All-Star as a professional/collegiate scout.
The plan, as previously reported by The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, was for Thomas to work from his hometown of Seattle and relay intel to Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. But as the organization prepared to make its two selections (No. 27 and No. 40) in this year’s NBA Draft, Thomas went to great lengths to assist Boston in any way possible before, during, and after the Celtics made their selections.
When the draft combine began in Chicago over six weeks ago, Thomas joined Celtics executives in attendance to help the team interview prospects. The 37-year-old, formerly selected with the final pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, underwent his first combine, watching from the perspective of an organizational representative rather than a player. There, Thomas also helped Boston evaluate talent before it became time on Tuesday night to make their first of two selections.
Boston selected 6-foot-11 forward Chris Cenac Jr., 27th overall, out of the University of Houston. The following day, after the 19-year-old shook commissioner Adam Silver’s hand at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and officially became a professional, Thomas met face-to-face with Cenac at Boston’s practice facility in Brighton, Massachusetts.
“Excited for the young killa!!! Let’s getit,” Thomas posted on X over a photo taken with Cenac at the Auerbach Center.
Thomas stuck around the practice facility for the second night. He joined Stevens in Boston’s draft room, awaiting the organization’s turn to make its pick at No. 40. When the time arrived, and the Celtics went with 22-year-old forward Dillon Mitchell from St. John’s, Thomas made the call to submit Boston’s selection on behalf of the team — a moment the Celtics shared across their social media pages.
The dozens of Celtics scouts, executives, and other team representatives surrounding Thomas opened up a round of applause for their newly-hired scout.
For years before his unofficial retirement following the 2023-24 season, Thomas frequently publicized his desire to rejoin the Celtics — at any capacity. He’s now back with Stevens, his former head coach, and Jaylen Brown (for now), his former teammate, contributing behind the scenes to the organization’s pursuit of its next championship.
Thomas never reached the mountaintop during his illustrious three-year run as Boston’s “King of the Fourth,” but still managed to — against all odds — leave a mark in the team’s storied history as one of the best to sport a Celtics uniform.
Now off the court, Thomas will strive to help the Celtics achieve NBA glory in a different, but still critical role, as part of his return to Boston.
