When Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas found about his sister’s death on the eve of the playoffs, he considered giving up the game of basketball.
Speaking at his sister Chyna Thomas’ funeral on Saturday, IT said that he “wanted to give up and quit” upon hearing the news of the single-vehicle accident.
An emotional Isaiah Thomas was introduced by the @celtics to a standing ovation ahead of tonight's game. #NBAPlayoffs #BostonStrong pic.twitter.com/WqxFPmiu71
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 16, 2017
Via ESPN:
“When I found out the news, I wanted to give up and quit. Never in my life have I thought about quitting.
“I realized quitting isn’t an option. That’s the easy way out. I will keep going for my sister because I know she wouldn’t want me to stop. I love you, Chyna, and I miss you so much, and everything I do for the rest of my life will be for you.”
Thomas, of course, was able to summon the fortitude to compete in all six of the Celtics’ first-round games against the Chicago Bulls.
He averaged 23.0 points (on 43.0 percent shooting), 4.3 boards and 5.7 assists in that series.
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Report: Isaiah Thomas’ Sister, Chyna, Dies In Car Crash
