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The NBA has seen a lot of great ball-handlers. Allen Iverson and his crossovers were the stuff of legends. There have been players like Tim Hardaway, Rod Strickland and Jamal Crawford known for there great ball-handling skills. Currently, Kyrie Irving may be the most gifted player in dribbling basketball.
Today on Twitter, NBA analyst and former player Jalen Rose stated that Isiah Thomas is the greatest ball-handler of all time. The Hall of Fame point guard, who played his entire career with the Detroit Pistons, was one of the best ever.
Who was Isiah Thomas?
Isaiah Thomas was born and raised on the Westside of Chicago. He was a high-school basketball star and McDonald’s All-American his senior year. He went on to play at Indiana University under coach Bobby Knight.
While at Indiana, Thomas was named an All-American and won the 1981 National Championship. He was selected #2 in the 1981 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. In 1980s, Thomas was seen as the second-best point guard in the league behind Magic Johnson.
Thomas is a 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection and a two-time NBA Champion. He won the 1990 NBA Finals MVP. Thomas could score at will and also set up his teammates as a playmaker.
When Thomas retired from the league, he was 3rd all-time in assists. He now sits at 9th on the all-time list.
Thomas' Pistons were among the dominant teams of their era. The team made it to five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals between 1987-1991. They were the main foils in the way of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Isiah Thomas meet Isaiah Thomas
When discussing talented point guards in the NBA who had great ball-handling skills, the name Isiah Thomas can come up twice. The Hall of Famer who played with the Pistons and the younger version whose name is spelled slightly different.
The younger Isaiah Thomas is not related to the Pistons legend but is named after him. His father lost a bet during the 1989 NBA Finals when the Lakers played the Pistons. He hence named his son Isaiah Thomas, who then grew up to become an NBA player himself.
Isaiah Thomas didn't have as much success as his older namesake but still has had pretty good NBA career. He is a two-time All-Star and seen as a good scorer. A hip injury in 2017 derailed his career after he averaged a career-high 28.9 points per game in 2016-17.
