Newly-acquired point guard Isaiah Thomas may be a lifelong Los Angeles Lakers fan, but he grew up in the state of Washington. That played a role in Thomas attending the University of Washington, where he became a star with the Huskies.
In three collegiate seasons, Thomas made the All Pac-10 first team twice and was an AP honorable mention All-American in 2011. He ultimately led the Huskies to two Pac-10 tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
On Saturday night, Thomas had his no. 2 jersey retired by the Huskies and gave a heartfelt speech during the ceremony, which the Washington Men’s Basketball Twitter account shared:
"I never really considered playing anywhere else. Home is where I wanted to be." – @isaiahthomas
This is your forever home.#2TheRafters pic.twitter.com/lMNX1VgOZm
— UW Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) February 18, 2018
Despite his lack of size, Thomas has always found a way to be productive everywhere he has been. The jersey retirement is something that Thomas earned with his performance at Washington.
He had career averages of 16.4 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals during his three years in Seattle, and was a big part of one of the most productive eras the university has ever seen in basketball.
Thomas is only the third Husky to see his jersey hang in the rafters, joining No. 25 of Bob Houbregs, and the No. 3 of Brandon Roy.
Thankfully for Thomas, his Huskies were able to come out with a much-needed win over the Colorado Buffaloes as they look to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Nothing would make Thomas happier than to see his alma mater making a big run in March.
With this done, Thomas will have a little more time off before looking to turn around his season with the Lakers. Thomas has struggled with injury this season and hasn’t been at his best.
He has shown his good and bad through three games in Los Angeles, but will look to prove more doubters wrong once the All-Star break is over.
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