BOSTON – Being traded from Boston to Cleveland will provide plenty of added motivation for Isaiah Thomas to deliver another stellar season.
But in case he needed even more incentive, Kobe Bryant who has served as a mentor in recent years for Thomas, provided some on Thursday morning with the following post on Instagram and Twitter:
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The post was one of several that Bryant issued to other prominent athletes (Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, Olympic track star Allyson Felix, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman) and rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Thomas' hip injury, according to Danny Ainge, may result in him not being ready to play at the start of this season.
When healthy, Thomas has established himself as one of the most exciting, high-impact players in the NBA.
Last season he led the Celtics to the best record in the East and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals where they were eliminated in five games by his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thomas, 28, earned a second consecutive All-Star appearance and finished the season tops among all players in the Eastern Conference (and third in the NBA) with at 28.9 points per game.
That earned him a spot on the All-NBA second team which capped off a special season.
It was a good season, but in the Black Mamba’s world, good is never good enough.