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Isiah Thomas

Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former basketball player who played professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Thomas has also been a professional and collegiate head coach, a basketball executive, and a broadcaster.

Thomas played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore and declaring for the NBA draft. He was taken as the second overall pick by the Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft, and played for them his entire career, while leading the "Bad Boys" to the 1988–89 and 1989–90 NBA championships.

After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He was later the men's basketball coach for the Florida International University (FIU) Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. In early May 2015, amidst controversy, Thomas was named president and part owner of the Knicks' WNBA sister team, the New York Liberty, subsequent to the re-hiring of Thomas's former Pistons teammate, Bill Laimbeer, as the team's coach.

Early life

The youngest of nine children, Thomas was born on April 30, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in the city's West Side. He started playing basketball at age three and would dribble and shoot baskets as the halftime entertainment at Catholic Youth Organization games.

He attended Our Lady of Sorrows School and St. Joseph High School in Westchester, which was a 90-minute commute from his home. Playing under coach Gene Pingatore, he led St. Joseph to the state finals in his junior year and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country.

College career

Thomas was recruited to play college basketball for Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. Although he received mail saying Knight tied up his players and beat them, he did not believe the rumors. When Knight visited the Thomas home, one of Isiah's brothers, who wanted him to attend DePaul, embarrassed him by insulting the Indiana coach and engaging him in a shouting match. Nevertheless, Thomas chose Knight and Indiana because he felt that getting away to Bloomington would be good for him, as would Knight's discipline.

Thomas quickly had to adjust to Knight's disciplinarian style. At the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, Knight got so mad at Thomas he threatened to put him on a plane home. Knight recalled yelling at the freshman-to-be, "You ought to go to DePaul, Isiah, because you sure as hell aren't going to be an Indiana player playing like that." Prior to the start of his freshman year, the 1979–80 season, Knight became so upset with Thomas that he kicked him out of a practice. According to Thomas, Knight was making a point that no player, no "matter how talented, is bigger than Knight's philosophy."

Thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both Knight and Indiana fans. His superior abilities eventually caused Knight to adjust his coaching style. Fans displayed bedsheets with quotations from the Book of Isaiah ("And a little child shall lead them") and nicknamed him "Mr. Wonderful." Because of Thomas's relatively short stature for college basketball at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), coach Knight would call him "Pee Wee". Thomas and Mike Woodson led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten championship and advanced to the 1980 Sweet Sixteen.

The next year, the 1980–81 season, Knight made Thomas captain and told him to run the show on the floor. Thomas responded so well that, as the season unfolded, Knight and Thomas grew as friends. When a Purdue player took a cheap shot at Thomas during a game at Bloomington, Knight called a press conference to defend his star. And 19 days later, when Thomas hit an Iowa player and was ejected from a game, Knight refused to criticize him.

That year, Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the 1981 NCAA tournament, the school's fourth national title. The sophomore earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award and made himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft.

NBA playing career

In the 1981 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas with the No. 2 pick and signed him to a four-year, $1.6 million contract. Thomas started for the Eastern Conference in the 1982 NBA All-Star Game and made the All-Rookie Team.

In the opening round of the 1984 NBA playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons faced off against Bernard King and the New York Knicks. In the pivotal fifth game, Thomas scored 16 points in 94 seconds to force the game into overtime, but then fouled out, and the Knicks held on to win.

In the 1985 NBA playoffs, Thomas and his team went to the conference semifinals against the 15-time NBA champion Boston Celtics led by future basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Detroit would not shake the Celtics in their six-game series, eventually losing.

In the 1987 NBA playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the Celtics again. It was the furthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne. Detroit was able to tie the Celtics at two games apiece, but its hope of winning Game 5 at Boston Garden was dashed by Larry Bird with just seconds remaining: Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, Bird stole the pass and hit Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.

In 1988, the Pistons' first trip to the Finals in 32 years saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Before the series, Thomas and Johnson exchanged a courtside kiss on the cheek prior to tip-off as a sign of their deep friendship. After taking a 3–2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6.

One of Thomas's most inspiring and self-defining moments came in Game 6. Although he had severely sprained his ankle late in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter, an NBA Finals record. But the Lakers won the game 103–102 on a pair of last-minute free throws by Abdul-Jabbar, following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer. With Thomas unable to compete at full strength the Lakers were able to take advantage and clinched their second consecutive title in Game 7, 108–105.

In the 1988–89 season, Thomas, along with teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, guided his team to a 63–19 record. Detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "Bad Boys". First they defeated Boston, which had been suffering persistent injuries. Michael Jordan and the up-and-coming Chicago Bulls fell next in the Conference Finals, setting up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time the Pistons dominated, sweeping the Lakers in four games to win their first of back-to-back championships. The following year, Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in Detroit's victory over Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons continued to play well between 1991 and 1993, but found their road back to the NBA Finals blocked by the emerging Bulls dynasty. An aging and ailing Thomas tore his Achilles tendon on April 19, 1994, forcing him to retire a month later.

As a point guard, Thomas was a dangerous scorer and effective leader. He was known for his dribbling ability, prowess driving to the basket, and often spectacular passing. Thomas was named to the All-NBA First team three times and is the Pistons' all-time leader in points, steals, games played and assists. He ranks ninth in NBA history in assists (9,061) and 15th in steals (1,861). His No. 11 was retired by the Pistons.

National team career

Thomas was selected to the 1980 Olympic team, but like all American athletes he was not able to play in Moscow due to the Olympics boycott. The boycotting countries instead participated in the "Gold Medal Series", a series of games against NBA teams, a French team and the 1976 Olympic gold medal team in various U.S. cities, recording a 5–1 record (losing only to the Seattle SuperSonics). Thomas shot 22–55 from the field and 14–17 from the line. He led the U.S. in assists with 37 (the next highest total on the team was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game. In 2007, Thomas received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.

Despite his talent, Thomas was left off the original Olympic Dream Team, possibly as a result of an alleged feud with Michael Jordan. In the book When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson relates that he, Jordan and other players conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team.

After Tim Hardaway left the team due to injury, Thomas was named to Dream Team II for the 1994 World Championship of Basketball, but did not play due to his Achilles tendon injury that eventually led to his retirement. He was replaced by Kevin Johnson.

Post-playing career

Businessman

Isiah Thomas is the founding Chairman and CEO of Isiah International LLC, a holding company with a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments. Gre3n Waste Removal, Re3 Recycling, and Eleven Capital Group are three of the primary businesses in the Isiah International family of companies. The mission of Isiah International is to become a business incubator for the minority community.

In addition to these business ventures, Thomas is involved in real estate projects in Chicago and the surrounding region as the owner of Isiah Real Estate. Thomas said he is putting money in distressed areas and reinvesting: "I'm hoping I can be a catalyst for change in those areas, to get the population back into those communities and be a catalyst to make a difference." Thomas is also involved in a $300 million development deal for a mixed-use complex at the Illinois Medical District Commission. Isiah Real Estate partnered with Higgins Development Partners, Thomas Samuels Enterprises, and East Lake Management & Development to develop 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) of land that would include retail space, a hotel, apartments and parking areas.

Thomas's business career began during his career with the Pistons. Planning for life after the NBA, Thomas invested in a host of ventures through his private investment company out of Michigan, Isiah Investments, LLC. His primary investment was a large chain of printing franchises, American Speedy Printing Centers Inc. Thomas took a very hands-on approach at American Speedy, helping lead the company out of bankruptcy to become profitable and one of the largest printing franchises in the world.

He was also one of the founding members of the advisory board for Marquis Jet Partners and a partner of Dale and Thomas Popcorn.

In April 1999 Thomas became the first African American elected to the Board of Governors of the Chicago Stock Exchange. He served until 2002.

Thomas often speaks to students and professionals around the country about his business experiences.

Toronto Raptors

After retiring, Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities. During his four-year tenure with the team, the Raptors drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and high schooler Tracy McGrady.

Broadcasting

After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play-by-play man Bob Costas and then as part of the studio team) for the NBA on NBC. He also worked a three-man booth with Costas and Doug Collins.

CBA

Thomas became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. He founded Enlighten Sports Inc, a full-service web development group specializing in sports marketing, in 1999.

When at the Continental Basketball Association, Thomas launched partnerships with Enlighten Sports and the University of Colorado and the CBA. The new websites allowed fans to watch live game webcasts, use live shot charts, chat with players and more. Thomas said the internet was "and integral part of [the CBA's] strategy to provide engaging and entertaining content for fans." Thomas also launched a partnership between the CBA and SEASONTICKET.com to bring personalized video highlights and scores to fans across the country as well as be a portal for All-Star League voting. Thomas foresaw that streaming video would be the future of news and entertainment.

In 1998, Thomas founded Isiah.com, a company serving consumers, retailers, and corporations with online gift certificates and other i-commerce products. Isiah.com's first venture was i-gift, a one-stop, online shopping service center for gift certificates. i-gift was praised as unique because it could drive e-commerce while supporting and expanding brick-and-mortar merchants. He brought the next generation of gift certificates to The Somerset Collection in Michigan, which houses exclusive department stores and retailers. Isiah.com's mission was to "harness internet technologies and leverage business transformation processes to create new business ventures that both produce profits and benefit under-served sectors of the community." Isiah.com also had a partnership with the NBA store.

Thomas purchased the CBA for $10 million, and in 2001 the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded, shortly after NBA Commissioner David Stern decided to create his own development league, the NBDL, to replace the CBA.

Indiana Pacers

From 2000 to 2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers, succeeding Larry Bird, who previously coached the Pacers to the Eastern Conference title. Thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster. But under Thomas the Pacers were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran-dominated, playoff-experienced team to a younger, less experienced team. In Thomas's first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, both of whom eventually made the NBA Finals.

In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided them to a 48–34 record in the regular season and coached the Eastern Conference team at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seeded Boston Celtics. With blossoming talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of Reggie Miller, some perceived Thomas's lack of coaching experience as the Pacers' stumbling block. In the off-season, Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with Rick Carlisle.

Halls of Fame

In 2000, Thomas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Two years prior, Thomas was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

New York Knicks

On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase. At the end of the 2005–06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second-worst record. He traded away several future draft picks to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent-rich drafts, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joakim Noah.

On June 22, 2006, the Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and owner James Dolan replaced him with Thomas on the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired.

During the following season the Knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets that Thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint. He was not fined or suspended; NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments. Later in the season, nine months after Dolan had demanded "evident progress", the Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi-year" contract. After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.

During the 2007 NBA draft, Thomas made another trade, acquiring Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

Thomas also compounded the Knicks' salary-cap problems by signing fringe players such as Jerome James and Jared Jeffries to full mid-level exception contracts. Neither player saw any significant playing time and both were often injured and highly ineffective when able to play.

Despite the constant criticism he received from Knicks fans, Thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around, and predicted he would lead the Knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the Knicks, just as he had done for the Detroit Pistons. This prediction was met with widespread skepticism.

On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh was introduced to replace Thomas as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. Walsh did not comment definitively on whether Thomas would be retained in any capacity.

One night after the Knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that in talks with Walsh the week before, Thomas had been told he would not return as Knicks head coach the following season. He was officially "reassigned" on April 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal." Thomas posted an overall winning percentage of .341 as head coach of the Knicks, fifth lowest in team history. As part of the reassignment agreement, Thomas was to serve as a consultant to the team, reporting directly to Walsh and banned from having contact with Knicks players on the rationale that he could undermine the new head coach.

FIU

On April 14, 2009, Thomas accepted an offer to become the head basketball coach of FIU, replacing Sergio Rouco after five losing seasons. Thomas announced that he would donate his first year's salary back to the school, saying, "I did not come here for the money."

After posting a 7–25 record in his first season at FIU, on August 6, 2010, Thomas announced that he was taking a job as consultant to the New York Knicks, while keeping his position as head coach at FIU. According to the New York Daily News, "nearly every major media outlet panned the announcement of Thomas' hire", and it led to a "public outcry" among fans. In a reversal on August 11, Thomas announced that he would not be working with the Knicks because holding both jobs violated NBA bylaws.

Thomas finished his second season at FIU with an 11–19 record (5–11 in conference games). On April 6, 2012, FIU fired Thomas after he went 26–65 in three seasons. Under Thomas, FIU never won more than 11 games in a season.

Back to broadcasting

On December 19, 2012, NBA TV announced that Thomas would begin work on December 21, 2012, as a member of the studio analyst panel. It was also announced that Thomas would become a regular contributor for NBA.com.

New York Liberty

On May 5, 2015, the WNBA New York Liberty hired Thomas as Team President, overseeing all of the franchise's business and basketball operations.

On June 22, 2015, the Liberty and the WNBA agreed to suspend consideration of Thomas's ownership application. He remains president of the team.

Under Thomas's leadership as team president and his former Pistons teammate Bill Laimbeer as head coach, the Liberty finished first in the Eastern Conference during the 2015 season.

Cheurlin Champagne

In 2016, Thomas announced that he was the exclusive United States importer of the Cheurlin Champagne brand through ISIAH Imports, a subsidiary of ISIAH International, LLC. Cheurlin Champagne made its debut in the United States at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Other activations have included a private luncheon honoring former President Bill Clinton. Cheurlin recently debuted at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the final season of the Detroit Pistons at the historic arena. Cheurlin produces two champagne categories: Cheurlin's Brut Speciale and Rose de Saignee and Cheurlin Thomas' "Celebrite" Blanc de Blanc and "Le Champion" Blanc de Noir. In August 2017, Thomas brought his Cheurlin Flagship Collection portfolio of Champagnes to the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Players Only

Since 2017, Thomas has been a regular panelist during NBA on TNT's Monday coverage Players Only, which features only former NBA players as studio analysts, play by play announcers, and color analysts for games.

Education

Thomas finished his college degree at Indiana University during the Pistons' off-seasons and received his Master's in Education from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2013. At UC Berkeley, Thomas studied the connection between education and sports, specifically how American society makes education accessible (or inaccessible) to black male college athletes.

Philanthropic work

During his playing career, Thomas paid college tuition for more than 75 students. When he was a Piston, in 1987 Thomas organized the "No Crime Day" in Detroit. He even had the help of Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to call for a moratorium on crime in the summer of 1986.

Also in 1987 Thomas posed for a poster sponsored by the American Library Association with the caption "READ: Isiah Thomas for America's Libraries". Thomas is shown dressed in a Sam Spade type outfit while reading a detective novel.

Thomas founded Mary's Court, a foundation that supports economically disadvantaged parents and children in the communities of Garfield Park and Lawndale on the West Side of Chicago. The charity is named for Thomas's mother, who he credits with instilling in him the importance of hard work and giving back to the community. Mary's Court has teamed up with another Chicago-based charity, Kids off the Block, to serve meals to Chicago children and families during Thanksgiving.

While at FIU, Thomas and Mary's Court donated $50,000 to FIU's First Generation Scholarship and organized a sell-out charity game during the NBA lockout featuring NBA stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with proceeds benefiting Mary's Court. A street on Chicago's West Side was named in honor of his mother.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys & Girls Club of Chicago recognized Thomas's philanthropic work in March 2012 and honored him with the organization's King Legacy Award at their 24th Annual King Legacy Awards Gala. The award is given annually to individuals who have fostered the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through their community contributions.

In July 2012, Thomas joined The Black Men's Roundtable in Florida along with other national and local black leaders to discuss issues that directly affect black males.

The Peace League is an annual community basketball league that brings together young men and women from surrounding communities within the Chicago area and provides a safe haven growth and development; it was established by Thomas and Father Pfleger in 2011. In September 2012, Thomas co-hosted the Ballin' for Peace Tournament at St. Sabina Church in Chicago. He joined with Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Quentin Richardson, Zach Randolph, the Chicago Bears' J'Marcus Webb, pastor Father Michael Pfleger, and others to produce this event, in order to reduce gang violence through communication and basketball. Thomas also stressed the value of education for those in poverty.

The Peace League initiative has expanded into a program which now offers GED classes, employment training, and internship opportunities. The surrounding Auburn-Gresham neighborhood has seen a drastic drop in violence since the league began.

Most recently, the Peace League Tournament was expanded to New York City during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. The New York City Peace Game featured over 50 players from across all five Boroughs that competed in a tournament as well as a brief speaking program with some special guests, supporters and participating organizations at the Harlem PAL that included Harry Belafonte of Sankofa.org, Help USA, Cure Violence, and Connor Sports.

In March 2013, Children Uniting Nations, an organization that focuses on advocacy/awareness and provides academic and community-based programs for at-risk and foster youth, presented Thomas and Mary's Court with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his passion and commitment to improving the lives of children.

In partnership with the Marillac Social Center, Thomas and Mary's Court hosted its Third Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway. Each year Mary's Court provides gifts, clothing and educational items to hundreds of children in Chicago at this signature event.

Humanity of Connection Award

On February 13, 2017, Thomas was presented the AT&T Humanity of Connection Award during its annual Black History Month celebration in honor of Lewis H. Latimer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. He was honored for his historic achievements in sports and his countless contributions to the African American community as a leader in the sports, business and philanthropic industries.

Personal life

Isiah Lord Thomas III was the son of Isiah II and Mary Thomas, the youngest of seven boys and two girls. Isiah's father was an army veteran wounded in the Battle of Saipan. He later attended trade school, eventually becoming the first black supervisor at International Harvester in Chicago. When the plant closed, the only work he could find was as a janitor and the family fell into hardship and Isiah II left when Isiah was a young child. Thomas grew up in the heart of Chicago's West Side ghetto. After his parents' separation, he lived with his mother. Born a Baptist, Mary turned the family toward Catholicism.

Thomas was a basketball prodigy from age three and was tutored by his older brothers, some of whom were good players in their own right. Although most coaches in the Chicago area considered him too small to have any significant impact on a basketball program, Thomas's brothers persuaded coach Gene Pingatore of St. Joseph High School to arrange a sports scholarship for Isiah.

Thomas met his future wife, Lynn Kendall, the daughter of a Secret Service agent and a nurse, in the early 1980s while they were both attending Indiana University. The couple married in 1985.

Thomas graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in 1987. Isiah Thomas and Lynn Kendall had a son, Joshua, in 1988, and a daughter, Lauren, in 1991. Thomas has a third son from an earlier liaison, Marc Dones, born in 1986.

Thomas founded Isiah International LLC, an investment holdings company with Thomas as Chairman and CEO. It runs five companies: Isiah Real Estate, a development firm specializing in commercial properties; TAND Properties, a property management firm, private equity and asset management firm; Isiah Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations; and GRE3N Waste Removal. Thomas also co-owns the waste removal's sister company, RE3 Recycling, with his daughter, Lauren Thomas.

Isiah Thomas was involved in allegations about gambling, an accusation outlined in the 1997 book Money Players.

Paternity case

Two months before Thomas's marriage to Lynn Kendall in 1985, Jenni Dones, a woman from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, filed a paternity lawsuit against Thomas claiming that she was pregnant after having had a three- or four-month "intimate, exclusive, ongoing relationship" with him. Her child, Marc E. T. Dones, was born in 1986. After a long-running legal dispute, Thomas agreed to pay a settlement of about $52,000 and provide a monthly payment of $2,765 until Marc Dones reached 18, with Marc getting a final lump-sum amount of $100,000 at 18. In a case Dones filed in 1995, she was able to get additional financial support for her son and his college education. Marc Dones is an aspiring writer and poet who has been described by the literary site thedetroiter.com as "a talented writer and poet".

Sexual harassment lawsuit

In January 2006, Anucha Browne Sanders, a former female executive with the New York Knicks, filed an employment and harassment lawsuit against The Madison Square Garden Company, alleging in part that Thomas had sexually harassed her in the workplace and that she had been fired in retaliation for complaining about the harassment. The case was then settled for $11.5 million.

Drug overdose

On October 24, 2008, Thomas was taken to White Plains Hospital Center near his New York City area home after accidentally taking an overdose of Lunesta, a form of sleep medication. .

In an interview with ESPN, Thomas explained that he was so quiet about his hospitalization because he was focused on his family at the time.

Rivalries

In the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, Thomas was joined on the Eastern Conference squad by star rookie Michael Jordan. Jordan wound up attempting nine shots, relatively few for a starting player. Afterward, Thomas and his fellow veteran East players were accused of having planned to "freeze out" Jordan from their offense by not passing him the ball, supposedly out of spite over the attention Jordan was receiving. No player involved has ever confirmed that the freeze-out occurred, but the story has long been reported and has never been refuted by Jordan. Thomas has ridiculed the idea that he masterminded the supposed freeze-out as "ludicrous", pointing out that he was a relatively young player on a team that included Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Moses Malone. During Jordan's Hall of Fame induction, in which Thomas introduced John Stockton, who was also being inducted, Jordan dismissed the claims about a freeze-out having taken place, saying "I was just happy to be there, being the young guy surrounded by all these greats, I just wanted to prove myself and I hope that I did prove myself to you guys."

In 1987, following a playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, Thomas was asked if he agreed with Dennis Rodman's comments that Larry Bird was overrated because he was white; Thomas agreed that if Bird were black he "would be just another good guy" instead of being portrayed as the league's best player. Thomas later said he was joking and just supporting his teammate.

In the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons faced the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Pistons had defeated the Bulls in each of the first three meetings, but this time they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Bulls (who would win the first of three consecutive, and six overall, NBA championships between 1991 and 1998). The series was marked by a number of verbal, physical, and match-up problems. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, Laimbeer organized a walk-out and Thomas and all of his teammates—except Joe Dumars and John Salley—walked off the court, refusing to shake hands with the Bulls. In 1992, Thomas was passed over for the Dream Team apparently because of his strained relationship with Jordan.

In September 2009, during Jordan's Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Jordan thanked Thomas and others for giving him the motivation he needed to compete in the NBA.

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St. Marys just a win away from Charleston | News, Sports, Jobs

St. Marys quarterback Brennan Boron runs to the tip zone throughout his group’s 52-49 win over Midland Path final Sunday. (Photograph by Josh Hughes)

ST. MARYS — The No. 4 St. Marys Blue Devils (11-1) are a win away from a berth within the Class A state championship, so what’s the message head coach Jodi Mote desires to ship to his group? Simply focus. Mote has been right here earlier than, as SMHS has clinched a spot within the Tremendous Six thrice below him. What’s new is the truth that the roster has modified a bunch because the group’s final title look in 2017. Pendleton County involves city to do battle at 1:30 p.m., because the Wildcats look to tug off an upset and ship the Devils house for the second 12 months in a row.

That loss was a 13-2 affair which noticed Mote’s offense pissed off and unable to generate factors of their very own. Heading into this contest, the Blue Devils stored scoring when wanted in a 52-49 slugfest win over Midland Path. When requested if that explosion of offense offers his group momentum heading into this matchup, Mote simply mentioned the offense wanted to remain targeted with an upset-mided Pendleton County (8-2) group on the horizon.

“You would like you performed higher offense, however you’ve obtained to credit score (Midland Path) for taking part in good offense,” Mote mentioned. “It’s only a matter of enjoying 4 quarters and placing factors on the board.”

Placing these factors on the board was a necessity, as Brennan Boron, Tre Moss and the remainder of the talent gamers wanted a giant afternoon to get the job carried out. Now, quarterback Isaiah Gardiner and the Wildcats carry a assorted offensive assault into Invoice Hanlin Stadium. Maybe the largest risk to the St. Marys protection is Gardiner’s arm, because the seniors footwork and pocket presence give him the chance to air out a deep ball when wanted. That exams a St. Marys protection led by gamers like Boron, Darrien Bortey and Ben Lengthy who may all see time being examined by Gardiner’s arm.

“They’ve obtained a unbelievable quarterback, they’ve obtained a unbelievable operating again (Dalton Dunkle) and (Dunkle) scored all six touchdowns final week.”

You heard that proper. Dunkle discovered paydirt six occasions within the 41-17 win over Tygarts Valley. The dashing assault of Boron, Moss, Lengthy and Cyle West seems to stability out the Wildcats’ dashing recreation, as Mote was complimentary of how the No. 8 seed prepares for gameday.

“That’s a credit score to the offensive line. The offensive line can also be doing one thing,” he mentioned. “Defensively, they’ve been lined up (in numerous formations), so that you’re unsure what you’ll see out of them. So far as particular groups, we’ve been scouting them to be prepared for what they do. We’re within the semifinal spherical, and there are solely three groups left, due to COVID. One group (Ritchie County) has already superior to the Tremendous Six, and the winner of our recreation goes to the Tremendous Six. We’re enjoying soccer on the week of Thanksgiving, and anytime you are able to do that, it’s a blessing. We’ve simply obtained to go on the market and play ball to see what occurs.”

Whereas Mote readies all phases of the sport, the togetherness of the group is a driving power behind all of the success, in keeping with Boron. In a season filled with uncertainty, having the ability to be round teammates and put together for what comes subsequent gave Boron lots to be grateful for on turkey day.

“We’ve spent a very long time being out on the sphere, placing in work and operating routes,” Boron mentioned following the win over Midland Path. “We’ve simply been engaged on our ft, and we put in lots of work going into the postseason. Now, we’re hoping to make it to the state title recreation.”

Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com

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[tmntl0verthings]

Siren (MikeyXreader)

dedicated to wifeofkaoru

Year 1860

 A Sailors Boat floated on the Salty seas of the Atlantic. Inside the boat  in the MDR (main dining room)  "Aye yea, Ye would 'ear (hear) Legends 'bout dem SeaMaidens." "Awe Edmison! Don't start that rubbish again." "Its true. I encountered a maiden with Scales Bright like lightening and Eyes dark like the night. And they're teeth are sharp like a Sabertooths!" "PishPosh." "Aye, Is true." His scottish accent echoed off the insides of the boats walls. The men ate as they talked over nonsense of SeaMaidens and their powers. The Boat echoed metallic knocking echoed loudly. They stopped eating and looked around. They heard it again. They rushed outside into the night to see nothing but still oceans and dunking sounds. Then they heard a slight sound behind them to see a woman, Folded her arms a'top the edge of the Boat for her eyes were Dark like night. Just like edmison had spoken. her arms were covered in delicate scales that shined like Pearls. They stood speechless and astounded.

"Upon one summer's morning

I carefully did stray Down by the Walls of Wapping Where I met a sailor guy.

Conversing with a young lass Who seem'd to be in pain, Saying, William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again.

My heart is pierced by Cupid I disdain all glittering gold There is nothing can console me But my jolly sailor bold."

Another Mermaid came up to show her eyes, then her lips..one after another joined in the background with their song. "my heart is pierced by cupid.." the song continued..The sailors walked the edge to edge slowly as they sang with their song. They walked to the edge as the mermaid Cautiously left the boat and lowered themselves into the ocean. The sailors unwillingly followed into the ocean. The song ended..As did there lives.. (Fades to black)

A world Lost but not forgotten in Myths and legends. Our people would try and rise again but only saw us as a game. Something to be hunted. We stopped trying and rested our lives separately from the humans in the depths below..

Year 2017~

 leonardo was sliding eveywhere as was Donnie. raphael held onto the railing. mikey was too but his foot was in a pile of rope with a piece of equipment attached.  A pole punched Raph in the face as Mikey was being pulled up into the Air by the rope to get bopped on the head with a sailing Pole. He then started falling down into the sea. "MIKEY!" raphael yelled as Mikey fallen overboard of the Boat 60 ft up into the ocean. Leo and don looked over to raph to not see Mikey anywhere. The storms above Bashed and ragged against the Boat. Mikey tried swimming but his ankle was stuck to a piece of Equipment that had dragged him down to begin with. He grabbed above trying to swim, he lowered his arms to struggle with the equipment. He tried swimming again only for his eyes to roll to the back of his head and his arms float up above his body, flow beside him. His last breath was casted into bubbles. the dark Surrounded him as his body was slowly falling into an abyss. A light struck for a moment to then come back in a separate area. It was like lightning was striking. Inside the dark showed a bright light. A woman. With a tail of a jellyfish but More of a solid tail with lots of strands following after. It was Like a Florescent lighting. Then 3 more showed up illuminating the dark. They all swam around him, Checking him out. What was he? they wondered. You tried to go up to him but was smacked in the hand with the screeching sounds of a broken Flute. You yelled back in their language as you swam up to him to see he wasn't human but wasn't afraid of him. There was no sign of danger coming from him. You looked down at his ankle to see something holding him down. You gestured your friends to get rid of it. One swiped it with there tail making a zzzzz sound as it snapped apart leaving some rope on his ankle. You picked his body up his sinking body in a hugging position as you started swimming away as your 'friends' followed.     You had a Blue crystal in your hand, pressing it down against his chest for healing. You then placed the crystal around his neck on a brown vine. It created an air bubble around his head that was Unseen but was there. You saw his eyes open up to show his sweet baby blues. Every part of your eye was Black. Even the White was Black. Your eyelashes were extensively long as was your hair. He inhaled air like he was living in space and then someone placed a helmet on him. He kept inhaling as he coughed. You made a almost Pigeon noise with bubbles coming from your mouth as you looked at him with a head tilt. "WAHAHAahah!" he screamed as you screamed back at him swimming away to hide behind a rock with your webbed hands laying along the Rough surface. His hands were on a marble/Granite flooring with Diamond Designs. he looked down to see the surface. 'woah..' he thought as he then looked up to see mermaid after mermaid after mermaid after merman. It was..amazing. And they all looked the same below the hips. Like glowing jellyfish with an Electric Eel look. He looked around himself to see he was in some kind of Sunken..City. It was unbelievable..his eyes widened as He looked at you as your head was popping up from behind the rock to show your jawline, Your soft Lips and your wickedly Black eyes with Long eyelashes blinking. He then sat up completely; You slowly floated yourself up from behind the rock with your arms floating by your side. you swam up above him as your tail dimmed down the light. You bent your tail to a Kneeling state so you were next to him. You looked at his face as your webbed hand reached out but he flinched so you stopped for a moment..Then reached out again. You felt his skin was scaly, But not like yours. Different. You went from his cheek; To touch his shell. it was Hard with engravings in it. It was like art. Your hand stroked down to His thighs..To his knees. You stopped touching him after he made a sound of laughter. you looked up at him. You lifted yourself up into the waters to get really close to his face. you looked at his eyes, you've never seen Blue eyes before. It was gorgeous and gross at the same time to see the White of his eyes instead of Black. His blood pressure was rising as he felt like he was gonna be kissed for the first time. Your eyes were looking down at his shelled chest as your one Finger grazed upon it. His eyes looked down at your Floating eyelashes. You had Gills on your neck and shoulders, your arms were engraved with Scales with fins, Your Hair was floating near him, tickling his leg. Your lips were frosted in a gold, you didn't have an breasts as far as he could tell.. Your skin tone was (very pale/A Dark deep Purple) Your eyes slowly looked up to him as it was a perfect moment..between a boy and a girl. His focus was broken from the sound of a Broken Flute Screeching through the waters. He looked around in fear as you backed away with your tail brightening up again. You looked to your left as you hair flowed past a Human girls Thigh. you screeched back As The Bubble around Mikey's head was started to Interpret Their words. "Why did you bring him here!" "He was in danger!" "What danger!" the older woman yelled. "death. We don't know him Thats true. But he may help us rise again. Please! What if he's a new hybrid of the humans!" "Look at him y/n! He's not human. no where near it. No Hair. he's green! And He's obviously not mammal." "Please!" "NO!" "UGH!!" you ughed as you made fists. You Swam near him and sat on the rock nearby. He felt the pressure that your tail created. The elder swam near him and looked at him. Her hair was Pearl white with Starfish holding strands back. Her Skin was sickly pale as her tail wasn't as bright as yours. She squinted her one eye halfway then scoffed. She backed off the tell you to take him back where you found him. You had not much of a choice in the matter. You were a commoner among your people. And she was the Queen's Adviser. You huffed as you swam over to him to help him up. He floated up in the water as you started swimming gesturing him to follow you. He swam after you.

  You and him finally got to land as He walked above the water, treading in the waters making Splashes. You stayed behind inside the waters as You watched him walk. You've never seen him walk before. He turned around to see your eyes look at him. For some reason, They were more beautiful above than inside the waters. "can you understand me?" he asked. You looked behind yourself to then look at him. He kinda got the idea you didn't understand him. He walked back into the water to say thank you. You swam closer to him. He squat-ed down to reach your face level. You Picked your self up with your webbed hands as your iridescent Skin shined like diamonds. Your hands were ontop of the edge of the rocks as your lips reached his. His eyes widened as yours were closed. He put his hands around your face as your tongue felt his. You took your face away from him as his lips were still puckered wanting more almost falling over. You licked your lips "My name is y/n." "you-you can talk." "My people can learn any language Instantly from exchange of lip and Saliva contact." "wanna do it again?" he asked "Why?" you tilted your head. "I-just-i-nothing nothing. So If its ok me asking. What are you?" "Eshcure (ess-sh-cure) Cloria (Clore-ree-uh)." "umm okay.." "What are you?" you asked blinking your dark eyes "I'm a turtle." "Oh I've seen turtles before but not like you." "yea i'm uh kinda a mutant too." "whats a..mut-ant?" "Eh don't worry about that. Hey is it true some uh mermaids can walk on land?" You reached up to take his necklace back from him and placed it around your neck. You plopped your bottom on the rocks and dragged your body with your hands onto the Dirt Like sands of the New York state. You felt your bones changing as you clinched your fanged teeth. Your gills were disappearing along your neck and shoulders. Your Rib cage grew smaller and your hips a bit bigger than before. Your tail split into two to make legs. You used your hands to pull yourself up and stand. you wobbled a little but caught your balance. You stood there at the height of 6'3. (Your tail turned into legs so you would be tall.) "Your so.." you looked up at him waiting for him to continue.."amazing.." You smiled showing your fangs. You closed your lips as you looked to the moon..then to the city beyond. "woah..its so sparkly." you told him. "hm?" he looked behind himself to see the City. "Oh heh yea" He looked back at you as your hair long pasted your butt and at your thighs. It was Long and wet from the waters. You walked up to him to look down at him.

  You and him jumped rooftops as he had you in his arms. He walked into the Turtles home to hear Leo's voice first. "I mean he could have landed here if he was drowned..but Its a long shot." Don explained. "hey guys.." mikey started. They all looked behind themselves to see him   "MIKEY!" they all shouted in relief But their eyes quickly drove over to you. (Your pail skin glowed/Your dark Purple skin shined like opals) They were all stunned. Leo coughed "umm you wanna introduce us to your friend?" Leo stated. "Oh yea this is y/n. Y/n these are my brothers. (he walked up to each turtle to show Who's Who.) This is raphael...This is Donatello..and this is Leonardo." you just looked not really saying anything as your hair laid upon the front of your body hiding most of it. "Why is she naked?" don asked quietly. "Oh yea right. Um Y/n is a Mermaid..Kinda thing." "what?" Leo asked as raph rose a brow. "yea uh she saved me. I ended up in this underwater City kinda thing. And so yea..." "wow wait, An underwater city? what did it look like?" "Kinda reminded me of the movie Hercules.." "DO you know what this means??" Don asked enthused. They all looked at him waiting "This mean's she could be an atlantian! They probably (he walked up to you walking around you, like a slow Vulture) her people probably Evolved into fish people due to them being sunk underwater..theres more information on this but..wow..a real Selkie.." "Selkies?" Mikey asked. "mermaid" Don explained himself. "Does she need to return soon or anything." Mikey shrugged at don's question. you held your crystal in your hand "As long as I have my Rock, I can stay as long as i want." "May I see it?" donnie asked. you backed yourself up by one foot as you held it tighter. "I won't take it from you." He assured you. you looked over at mikey you nodded at you. You bit your lip with one fang as you let him look at it...It glowed a little as Don touched it. "woah.."

You wore a pair of leggings and tank top with no bra cause you have no boobies. You and mikey were sitting on a building watching the sunrise as you and him talked all night. "--And so we decided to try and sing songs to the humans as a tribute to become friends but they always fell and drowned trying to come near us. I still don't know why..But we are forbidden to sing cause of this." "Wow!" He looked intrigued as he was more and more interested in you.  "well I'm already here, and I'm not in waters or on the edge of anything. So..can you sing something.." you looked down with your blackened eyes then back to him "I don't know.." "pleaaasseeee." He pleaded. "I guess it couldn't hurt any.." you breathed in and started singing the old song "My jolly sailor bold".    

  "My heart is peirced by cupid...I disdain all glittering gold, There is nothing can console me, But my jolly sailor bold."

Mikey swayed back and forth to the song as your voice was vibrating the Glass on every Building. The song echoed through the whole city but it was most powerful where you were.

"His hair hangs in Ringlets, His eyes black as coal, My happiness Attends him, Wherever he may go."

Cars below crash and break into other as Men climb the building to find you.

"I'll wander, weep and moan, All for my jolly sailor. Until he sails home."

Mens hands reach the top of the building as Mikey looked behind himself to hear shuffling to see that you and him were surrounded by men. They came closer and closer as then they tried to touch you. Mikey grabbed you and hopped away to another building fairly far away as you stopped singing. "Maybe thats why." Mikey commented. You held your arms around his neck as you looked over his shoulder laying your held on him. you saw as the men walked along the building confused. You laid your head more onto his shoulder closing your eyes. "I'm tired.." you told him. He stopped jumping buildings and held you as you didn't wanna leave his grasp. "You wanna go home?" "not really." you told him as you lifted your head to looked into his eyes. He looked into your pitch black eyes to see his own reflection. "why not? Don't you miss it already or anything?"  you looked to the rising orange sun "My world is dark, and miserable. I like yours better. Its bright, colorful (you looked at him) and Loving.....I wanna stay with you." "you-you-you wanna stay..here with me? Like just me cause youuuu..." he narrowed his eyes waiting for you to continued his own sentence. "I like you allot. your more interesting then the men I know of." "Heh you think i'm a man." he smiled "How old are you?" You asked him "16. you?" "312." "Oh.." "what?" "Its just. i don't know anyone that olll (old)--young." you smiled your fangs to then be set down by him.. He remembered how you kissed him before but for language purposes. He wondered..He took you into his grasp as he then Kissed your lips inserting his tongue into your mouth this time. He closed his eyes as yours were opened. He let go of you as you licked your lips. "What was that for?" "its what we do when we really like someone too." He smiled as he then took your hand into his, But not in between yours fingers cause your hand is still Webbed.....

  ....There is nothing that can console my but My jolly sailor Bold...

The Beginning (the end)

[auburnfamilynews]

Road win. What more can you ask for?

Yo. Auburn beat Georgia last night. That’s the bottom line, and that’s what’s important. Anytime you beat the Bulldogs is a banner day. Doesn’t matter if it’s football, basketball, tiddlywinks, or your weekly math quiz. We beat Georgia, and it’s all good.

There were some good highlights in there. Of utmost importance, the Chuma Okeke game-winning three over the home state rivals, Jared Harper’s endless stream of deep bombs, and Horace Spencer doing Horace Spencer things were all huge plays that factored in at the end.

Let’s take a look at the numbers. Auburn shot 45%, went 11-31 from three, and 9-11 from the foul line. They got out-rebounded 29-23, but they only committed 7 turnovers. Meanwhile, Georgia hit 53% of their shots, while going 12-16 from the foul line, and 9-21 from deep. Those numbers suggest a close game, and it was right down to the final minute.

Ladies and gentlemen, Chuma Okeke pic.twitter.com/B8DjT0rvt6

— joshdub (@joshdub_) February 28, 2019

With just three seconds left on the shot clock after a Nicholas Claxton block out of bounds, Auburn got the inbound pass to Chuma Okeke, and he buried a left-wing three for the lead. The Bulldogs couldn’t do anything with the final possession and only got off a last bad shot to try and tie.

“Just let it fly.” @chuma_okeke on The Shot “Coach drew the play up for me. He had enough trust in me to put the ball in my hands with 3 seconds on the shot clock. He said if they play off you, just let it fly.” : @voga @AuburnMBB wins at UGA, 78-75 pic.twitter.com/Zlq3s8nPzz

— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) February 28, 2019

“Just let it fly.” That’s the kind of marching order we need from Bruce Pearl as far as Chuma’s skill set goes. He’s got all the tools, and we just need him to unleash himself on the rest of the schedule.

Auburn’s offense posted 50 points in the first half, and looked like they were going to continue that sort of offense after a 7-5 run to start the second period, but then they went cold. Georgia caught up, and took the lead before we saw things tied up at 67 late. Auburn controlled it from there, even after the Bulldogs tied it up again at 75.

One big part of last night’s weird offense was that Bryce Brown did nothing. He only hit 1-9 threes, but we got the big performance from Jared Harper.

UGA shot 53% from the field, 43% from 3, hit 3 more FTs, and narrowly outrebounded Auburn, too, while Brown was scoring 9 points on 12 shots, 1-of-9 from 3. Auburn won anyway b/c Jared Harper--22 points on 15 shots, 1 damn turnover in 38 minutes--remains a complete badass. pic.twitter.com/YW3JpEJNGq

— Jerry Hinnen (@JerryHinnen) February 28, 2019

And we saw the growth of Bryce Brown through his play staying stellar on the defensive end despite the bad game offensively.

Something I did really like about those final 10 minutes last night was Brown's defensive effort after an off night shooting. Sometimes he lets his offensive struggles affect him on defense but he instead amped things up to close game out. Was huge late in the game

— AUNerd (@AUSportsNerd) February 28, 2019

Now, Georgia was 1-13. Let’s not make too huge of a deal out of it, but this was a necessary road win. We needed it to help cement a Tournament bid. With the win, Auburn’s guaranteed a first-day bye in Nashville at the SEC Tournament, but there are still a bunch of possibilities as we hit the final three games of the conference season.

Looking at SEC Tournament seeding: oh boy. it's tight. South Carolina, Miss St, Ole Miss, and Florida are all 9-6. Auburn and Alabama are 8-7. I believe each of these teams is technically still eligible for the 4th seed double bye pic.twitter.com/S0VIhWhmAa

— joshdub (@joshdub_) February 28, 2019

With a game against Mississippi State, that’s huge for Auburn. We could tie them up in the standings this weekend with a win. It’s also big that we play Alabama, who’s got an identical record to ours. Auburn can still get a top-four seed, though. It’s just extremely unlikely.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the most likely scenario for Auburn to clinch the 4th seed double bye: Auburn goes 3-0 SC loses to Mizzou and A&M Ole Miss loses to UK and Arky UK beats UF Kenpom gives this a 2.12% chance of happening

— joshdub (@joshdub_) February 28, 2019

South Carolina’s got a really easy schedule down the stretch, while the other things on that list above aren’t out of the question individually, but they may not happen altogether.

Let’s move past this, beat Mississippi State this weekend, and reassess from there. Each game coming up is going to be bigger than the last. War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/2/28/18245039/about-last-night-auburn-78-georgia-75

[architectnews]

Rochester Commons Singapore Development

Rochester Commons Development Singapore, Southeast Asia Property, Buildings

Rochester Commons Singapore

9 Sep 2020

Rochester Commons Singapore Buildings

Design consultant: Gensler ; Project architect: DCA Architects Pte Ltd

Location: one-north, Singapore

Singapore, 9 September 2020 – Targeted for completion in 4Q 2021, Rochester Commons in Singapore’s one-north is set to become a first-of-its-kind integrated campus-style development set on 2.4 hectares of lushly landscaped grounds. In addition to a Grade A office tower, hotel and 12 black-and-white heritage bungalows, Rochester Commons will feature Catapult, Southeast Asia’s first shared executive learning centre designed to deliver training programmes in an experiential and immersive way using the latest learning technologies.

Targeted for completion in 4Q 2021, Rochester Commons in Singapore’s one-north is set to become a first-of-its-kind integrated campus-style development, built in line with the Singapore government’s vision for a world-class learning ecosystem in one-north: image : CapitaLand

Built in line with the Singapore government’s vision for a world-class learning ecosystem in one-north, the approximately 400,000 square feet (sq ft) integrated development is developed and managed by CapitaLand. The hotel component will be operated by CapitaLand’s lodging arm The Ascott Limited under the Citadines Connect brand.

Designed by Gensler, Rochester Commons will include a 17-storey Grade A office tower with over 200,000 sq ft of core and flex working spaces. Corporates can choose from column-free large floor plates spanning 22,500 sq ft per floor or in one of the seven heritage bungalows that have been conserved and converted into unique workspaces.

Mr Tan Yew Chin, CEO, CapitaLand Singapore, said: “Located in Singapore’s renowned research and knowledge hub one-north, where CapitaLand already has a strong presence, Rochester Commons further strengthens and diversifies the Group’s offerings to support the hub-and-spoke and core-and-flex workspace needs of companies in the COVID-19 new normal. As a unique campus-style integrated development, Rochester Commons will further complement CapitaLand’s real estate ecosystem and increase our competitive advantage.”

“As companies and individuals adapt to the post COVID-19 environment, executive education and reskilling will be increasingly important. Catapult at Rochester Commons is well-positioned to cater to this demand with programmes that focus on leadership development and grooming of talent for regional and senior roles. More than just a standalone learning facility, Catapult is designed to facilitate cross-learning and networking in a state-of-the-art campus. Catapult will also feature an online platform where learners and knowledge providers can learn, co-create and innovate for the future economy.”

Rochester Commons will include a 17-storey Grade A office tower with over 200,000 sq ft of core and flex working spaces. Corporates can choose from column-free large floor plates spanning 22,500 sq ft per floor or in one of the seven heritage bungalows that have been conserved and converted into unique workspaces: image : CapitaLand

Catapult

Catapult is a purpose-built executive learning centre open to the broader learning community. It aims to create the ideal learning space, and curate impactful curriculum to groom executives for leadership agility and with future-ready skills relevant in a regional and global context.

The curriculum focuses on three main pillars: Leadership, Innovation and Human Energy for Peak Performance, all delivered in partnership with an extensive network of best in class knowledge providers and through immersive learning experiences. Knowledge partners at Catapult come from multiple disciplines and industries who bring with them enriching and useful leadership skills, and the workshops conducted will leverage Catapult’s technology capability to deliver more interactive, engaging and stimulating content.

Catapult will feature technologies such as virtual and augmented reality as well as neuroscience principles adopting immersive learning approaches, some of which are already on trial at Catapult’s showroom at the Bridge+ coworking space in Ascent building at Singapore Science Park 1. The centerpiece is a 180-degree immersive screen which facilitates shared virtual reality viewing experience during workshops as well as expanded virtual conferencing capabilities. The panoramic screen brings to life 3D visuals such as spatial layouts and allows easy viewing of content on screen.

Prior to its launch at Rochester Commons next year, Catapult has already been hosting learning programme pilots since early 2019. These pilots are curated by Catapult and jointly conducted with knowledge partners, offering potential corporate clients a preview of the courses which will be available. In light of COVID-19, Catapult has successfully conducted these pilot programmes virtually since April 2020.

Seamless tech-enabled experience

Designed for the community to enjoy secure and seamless access, Rochester Commons will feature a single digital identity access that allows executives to easily move through the entire integrated development via facial recognition, QR code scanning or access cards. A mobile app will be available for tenants and visitors to book amenities and access building services. Rochester Commons will also deploy a cloud-based intelligent building platform that allows the property manager to draw insights using energy and space usage data to optimise building functions for occupiers’ comfort.

The 135-unit Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore will similarly offer tech-enabled features such as mobile keys, self check-in kiosks and content streaming-enabled televisions. Entirely digital-enabled, guests will be able to book, check-in, request for services, check loyalty points, check out, make payment and provide feedback via an app.

Catering to both short and long stays, Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore is ideal for leisure and business travellers. The hotel will have a swimming pool as well as a 24-hour gymnasium. Service robots will perform tasks such as concierge services, delivering clean laundry and refilling room supplies. Guests can also recharge at the ‘Re-Space’ – a lounge area fitted with USB charging points, lockers and shower rooms for guests to rest and relax.

Green spaces and amenities

The integrated development will be connected via an approximately 1,200 ft green trail, interspersed with a sky garden, viewing decks, event spaces and meeting pods for the community to enjoy the outdoors. With its eco-friendly features, Rochester Commons has clinched the Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s highest accolade, the Green Mark Platinum award.

The F&B establishments at five of the heritage bungalows will feature exciting dining options and new-to-market concepts to further boost the vibrancy of the area. Rochester Commons will also have outdoor social spaces including a multi-purpose outdoor court named ’Common Ground’, where executives can take part in curated community events.

The integrated development will be connected via an approximately 1,200 ft green trail, interspersed with a sky garden, viewing decks, event spaces and meeting pods for the community to enjoy the outdoors. With its eco-friendly features, Rochester Commons has clinched the Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s highest accolade, the Green Mark Platinum award: image : CapitaLand

Strategic location and excellent connectivity

Rochester Commons is located between Singapore’s two major business hubs – the Central Business District and International Business Park at Jurong Lake District, the latter set to become the largest commercial and regional centre outside the city centre. Situated within one-north, Singapore’s research and knowledge hub, the integrated development is colocated with international businesses and research facilities. Rochester Commons is a short walk from Buona Vista MRT station which serves the East-West and Circle lines. The integrated development also has ample bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities.

Rochester Commons will boost CapitaLand’s presence in the one-north precinct, where it already manages Galaxis, an office building with a retail podium. Through its lodging arm, The Ascott Limited, CapitaLand also manages Citadines Fusionopolis Singapore and the upcoming lyf one-north Singapore. Within the Greater one-north region, CapitaLand Group operates Singapore Science Park 1 and Singapore Science Park 2.

Rochester Commons Singapore – Building Information

Location: 1 Rochester Park, Singapore 139212

Description: An integrated development comprising a 17-storey Grade Aoffice tower and 12 black-and-white heritage bungalows.

17-storey tower: – a shared executive learning centre (part L2 and L3 of tower) – 135-unit business hotel (part L2, L4 to L7) – office space (L8 to L17) 12 heritage bungalows: – seven bungalows for offices – five bungalows for F&B or retail

Gross floor area: Office 260,000 sq ft Shared executive learning centre 54,000 sq ft Hotel 60,000 sq ft F&B / Retail 22,000 sq ft Total 396,000 sq ft

Estimated completion: date 4Q 2021 Design consultant: Gensler Project architect: DCA Architects Pte Ltd No. of car park spaces: About 144 lots (for the entire development)

Rochester Commons Singapore images / information received 090920

Offices

Location: one-north, Singapore

Singapore Architecture

CapitaLand Office of the Future, Capital Tower & Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore CBD image : CapitaLand CapitaLand Office of the Future

Singapore Architecture Designs – chronological list

Singapore Office Buildings

South East Asia Office Architecture

Marina One Singapore Design: Ingenhoven Architects image © ingenhoven architects / photo : HGEsch Marina One in Singapore

Early Learning Village Design: Bogle Architects photo © Bogle Architects-Infinitude Early Years Village Singapore Building

Changi Airport Interior Design: Moment Factory image courtesy of architecture office Changi Airport Building

Architecture in Singapore

Singapore Architecture Designs – chronological list

Singapore Architecture Walking Tours

Singapore Architects Offices : Practice Listings

Singapore Architecture

Office Buildings

Comments / photos for the Rochester Commons Singapore – South East Asian Architecture Design page welcome

Website: Visit Singapore

The post Rochester Commons Singapore Development appeared first on e-architect.

[dailynewswebsite]

Dodgers 1st team to clinch playoff spot, beat Padres 7-5

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Whereas the Los Angeles Dodgers are common individuals in postseason baseball, there was one thing uncommon about changing into the primary workforce within the pandemic-shortened season to clinch a berth within the expanded playoffs.

”It is totally different, I suppose. I simply discovered that out 5 minutes in the past,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated in his video information convention after the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 7-5 to take two of three in a matchup of the NL’s two high groups.

The Dodgers opened a Three 1/2-game lead of their quest for an eighth straight NL West title by beating the Padres for the second straight day. Dustin Might threw 5 1/Three gutty innings out of the bullpen, AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor homered and Will Smith drove in three runs.

”I am celebrating by saying I am happy with our guys and it was an important collection,” stated Roberts, who grew up in northern San Diego County and each performed for and was a coach with the Padres earlier than getting the Dodgers’ job. ”I believe it caught us all unexpectedly as a result of we have been so centered on making an attempt to win this collection. I believe phrase will journey as soon as we get on the aircraft.”

San Diego, quieted by Dodgers pitching a second straight sport even because it heads for its first playoff berth since successful the division in 2006, has misplaced two straight for the primary time since mid-August.

Might confirmed that as a part of COVID-19 protocols, MLB would not need groups having wild clubhouse celebrations after clinching.

Requested if the Dodgers had a celebration, he stated:

”No. We’re not allowed to.”

However clinching a postseason spot ”is one thing you grind for for the entire season,” he stated. ”This season is totally different however we needed to grind within the quarantine zone, so you are still going to really feel tremendous excited.”

At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason area. Los Angeles is looking for its first World Collection title since 1988, having misplaced within the Fall Traditional below Roberts in 2017 and 2018.

Mookie Betts tied his profession excessive with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.

San Diego, quieted by Dodgers pitching a second straight sport even because it heads for its first playoff berth since successful the division in 2006, has misplaced two straight for the primary time since mid-August.

”At this time we simply acquired beat in virtually all areas, aspects of the sport,” rookie supervisor Jayce Tingler stated. ”We did not play as clear as we have now been defensively. Their guys over there on the mound, they’ve performed a superb job pitching, particularly the previous two days. It was good to scrap and crawl and battle again in it, however on the finish of the day we acquired into too massive a gap to beat.”

Might, who had been scheduled to begin earlier than Roberts determined to go together with a bullpen day, was the Dodgers’ third pitcher of the sport. He went 5 1/Three innings and was in management till Jurickson Profar homered to proper area with two outs within the seventh to drag the Padres to 7-3. Mitch Moreland reached on an error by second baseman Gavin Lux opening the inning.

After Profar’s homer, Might struck out Trent Grisham and blew off some steam by yelling a couple of profanities that may very well be heard round empty Petco Park. Grisham angered the Dodgers by briefly posing on the plate after homering off Clayton Kershaw within the Padres’ 7-2 win Monday night time.

Might allowed Manny Machado’s solo homer with one out within the eighth, his 14th, and was lifted by Roberts.

Till the seventh, Might had breezed by means of 4 innings by permitting solely a single and a stroll. He struck out six.

Might stated he felt his outing ”was fairly stable. There have been some miscues on my finish that ended up going a fairly lengthy methods. Simply location-wise, it wasn’t the place I wished on these two pitches and so they took benefit of it.”

Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a success and a run in 1 1/Three innings earlier than Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a success and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.

Pedro Baez acquired the ultimate two outs for his second save.

San Diego used 9 pitchers.

Pollock homered previous the palm timber to the correct of the batter’s eye in straightaway heart area off rookie Adrian Morejon (2-1) with two outs within the second. It was his 11th. Taylor greeted Garrett Richards with a leadoff shot into the second deck in left -center main off the sixth, his sixth, for a 7-1 lead.

TATIS JR.’S SLUMP

San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr., who had been thought-about the NL MVP front-runner lately, went Zero for Four to increase his droop to 2 for 27 over eight video games. His common has dropped from .314 to .281.

Story continues

”I do not suppose he is drained,” Tingler stated. ”I believe final night time he missed a homer by two or three ft, I believed he squared three balls up in the present day. Sadly, they have been proper into the lanes they have been enjoying. Simply going by means of just a little pocket, possibly making an attempt to do an excessive amount of at occasions. However I believe he is in place to get extraordinarily sizzling for us down the stretch.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Positioned LHP Caleb Ferguson on the IL with what Roberts stated was ”a fairly good” tear in his UCL. Ferguson had an MRI in Los Angeles earlier Wednesday after dealing with only one batter Tuesday night time. To take his roster spot, RHP Josh Sborz was recalled. …. Pollock got here out late within the sport with tightness in a hamstring.

Padres: Reinstated C Francisco Mejia (bruised left thumb) from the 10-day IL and optioned OF Abraham Almonte to the alternate coaching web site.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Julio Urias (3-0, 3.53) is scheduled to begin the opener of a four-game collection Thursday night time at Colorado, which is able to counter with LHP Kyle Freeland (2-1, 3.54).

Padres: RHP Chris Paddack (3-4, 4.74) is scheduled to begin Friday night time within the opener of a three-game collection at Seattle.

—

Extra AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports activities

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/dodgers-1st-team-to-clinch-playoff-spot-beat-padres-7-5/ via https://growthnews.in

[blackkudos]

Isiah Thomas

Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American retired basketball player who played professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Thomas has also been a professional and collegiate head coach, a basketball executive, and a broadcaster.

Thomas played collegiately for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore and declaring for the NBA Draft. He was taken as the #2 pick by the Pistons, playing for them his entire 1981–1994 career and leading the "Bad Boys" to the 1988–89 and 1989–90 NBA championships.

After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He was later the men's basketball coach for the Florida International University (FIU) Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. In early May 2015, amidst controversy, Thomas was named president and part owner of the Knicks' WNBA sister team, the New York Liberty, subsequent to the re-hiring of Thomas's former Pistons teammate, Bill Laimbeer, as the team's coach.

Early life

Thomas was born on April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of nine children. Each morning in high school he rose at 5:00 am for the 90 minute commute from Chicago's West Side North Lawndale neighborhood to play high school basketball at the private St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois for coach Gene Pingatore. During his junior year, he led St. Joseph to the State Finals and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country.

College career

Thomas was recruited to play college basketball for Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. Although he received mail saying Knight tied up his players and beat them, he did not believe the rumors. When Knight visited the Thomas home, one of Isiah's brothers, who wanted him to attend DePaul, embarrassed him by insulting the Indiana coach and engaging him in a shouting match. Nevertheless, Thomas chose Knight and Indiana because he felt that getting away to Bloomington would be good for him, as would be Knight's discipline.

Thomas quickly had to adjust to Knight's disciplinarian style. At the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico Knight got so mad at Thomas he threatened to put him on a plane home. Knight recalled yelling at the freshman-to-be, "You ought to go to DePaul, Isiah, because you sure as hell aren't going to be an Indiana player playing like that." Prior to the start of his freshman year, the 1979–80 season, Knight became so upset with Thomas that he kicked him out of a practice. According to Thomas, Knight was making a point that no player, no "matter how talented, is bigger than Knight's philosophy."

However, Thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both Knight and Indiana fans. His superior abilities eventually would cause Knight to adjust his coaching style. Fans would display bed sheets with quotations from the Book of Isaiah ("And a little child shall lead them") and nicknamed him "Mr. Wonderful." Because of Thomas' relatively short stature at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), coach Knight would call Thomas "Pee Wee". Thomas and Mike Woodson led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten championship and advanced to the 1980 Sweet Sixteen.

The following year, the 1980–81 season, Knight made Thomas the captain and told him to run the show on the floor. Thomas responded so positively that, as the season unfolded, Knight and Thomas grew as friends. When a Purdue player took a cheap shot at Isiah in a game at Bloomington, Knight called a press conference to defend his star. And 19 days later, when Thomas hit an Iowa player and was ejected from a game, Knight refused to criticize Thomas.

That year Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the 1981 NCAA tournament, the school's fourth national title. The sophomore earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award, and made himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft.

NBA playing career

In the 1981 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas with the No. 2 pick and signed him to a four-year $1.6 million contract. Thomas made the All-Rookie team and started for the Eastern Conference in the 1982 All-Star Game.

In the opening round of the 1984 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons faced off against Bernard King and the New York Knicks. In the pivotal fifth game, Thomas was having a subpar performance, while Bernard King was having an excellent game. Thomas scored 16 points in the last 94 seconds to force the game into overtime. Isiah then fouled out in overtime, however, and the Knicks held on to win.

In the 1985 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and his team went to the conference semi-finals against the 15-time NBA champion Boston Celtics led by future basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Detroit couldn't shake the Celtics in their six-game series, eventually losing.

In the 1987 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the Boston Celtics. It was the furthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne when they were the Zollner-Pistons. Detroit was able to tie the Celtics at two games apiece, but its hope of winning Game 5 at the Boston Garden was dashed by Larry Bird with just seconds remaining: Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, Bird stole the pass and hit Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.

In 1988, the Pistons' first trip to the Finals saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Before the series, Thomas and Johnson would exchange a courtside kiss on the cheek prior to tip-off as a sign of their deep friendship. After taking a 3–2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6.

One of Thomas' most inspiring and self-defining moments came in Game 6. Although he had severely sprained his ankle late in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Thomas scored 25 points in a single quarter of the game, an NBA Finals record. However, the Lakers won the game 103–102 on a pair of last-minute free throws by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer. With Thomas unable to compete at full strength the Lakers were able to take advantage and clinched their second consecutive title in Game 7, 108–105.

In the 1988–89 season, Thomas, along with teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, guided his team to a 63–19 win–loss record. Detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "Bad Boys". First they defeated Boston, which had been suffering persistent injuries. Michael Jordan and the up-and-coming Chicago Bulls fell next in the Conference Finals, setting up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time the Pistons were dominating, sweeping the Lakers in 4 games to win their first of back-to-back championships. The following year, Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in Detroit's victory over Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons continued to play well between 1991 and 1993 but found their road back to the NBA Finals blocked the emerging Chicago Bulls dynasty. An aging and ailing Thomas decided to end his career following the 1994 season, but a torn Achilles' tendon in April forced him off the court for good a month early.

As a point guard, Thomas was a dangerous scorer and effective leader. He was known for his dribbling ability, prowess driving to the basket, and often spectacular passing. Thomas was named to the All-NBA First team three times and is the Pistons' all-time leader in points, steals, games played and assists. He ranks seventh in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg) and ranks fifteenth in steals (1,861). His No. 11 was retired by the Detroit Pistons.

International career

Thomas was selected to the 1980 Olympic team, but like all American athletes he was not able to play in Moscow due to the Olympics boycott. The boycotting countries instead participated in the "Gold Medal Series", a series of games against NBA teams, a French team and the 1976 Olympic gold medal team in various U.S. cities, recording a 5–1 record (losing only to the Seattle SuperSonics). Thomas shot 22–55 from the field and 14–17 from the line. He led the U.S. in assists with 37 (the next highest total on the team was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game.

Despite his talent, Thomas was left off the original Olympic Dream Team, possibly as a result of an alleged feud with Michael Jordan. In the book When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson relates that he, Jordan and other players conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team.

After Tim Hardaway left the team due to injury, Thomas was named to Dream Team II for the 1994 World Championship of Basketball, but did not play due to his Achilles tendon injury that eventually led to his retirement. He was replaced by Kevin Johnson.

Post-playing career

Businessman

Isiah Thomas is the founding Chairman and CEO of Isiah International LLC, a holding company with a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments. Gre3n Waste Removal, Re3 Recycling, and Eleven Capital Group are three of the primary businesses in the Isiah International family of companies. The mission of Isiah International is to become a business incubator for the minority community.

In addition to these business ventures, Thomas is involved in real estate projects in Chicago and the surrounding region as the owner of Isiah Real Estate. Thomas said he is putting money in distressed areas and reinvesting, "I'm hoping I can be a catalyst for change in those areas, to get the population back into those communities and be a catalyst to make a difference." Thomas is also involved in a $300 million development deal for a mixed-use complex at the Illinois Medical District Commission. Isiah Real Estate partnered with Higgins Development Partners, Thomas Samuels Enterprises, and East Lake Management & Development to develop 9.5 acres of land that would include retail space, a hotel, apartments and parking areas.

Thomas' business career began during his career with the Pistons. Planning for life after the NBA, Thomas invested in a host of ventures through his private investment company out of Michigan, Isiah Investments, LLC. His primary investment was a large chain of printing franchises, American Speedy Printing Centers Inc. Thomas took a very hands-on approach at American Speedy. He helped lead the company out of bankruptcy to become profitable and one of the largest printing franchises in the world.

He was also one of the founding members of the advisory board for Marquis Jet Partners and a partner of Dale and Thomas Popcorn.

Isiah Thomas was elected to be the first African American to sit on the Board of Governors of the Chicago Stock Exchange in April 1999 and served until 2002.

Thomas often speaks to students and professionals around the country about his business experiences.

Toronto Raptors

After retiring, Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities. During his four-year tenure with the team, the Raptors drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and high schooler Tracy McGrady.

Broadcasting

After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play-by-play man Bob Costas and then as part of the studio team) for the NBA on NBC. Thomas also worked a three-man booth with Costas and Doug Collins.

CBA

Thomas became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. An innovator and entrepreneur, Thomas founded Enlighten Sports Inc, a full-service web development group specializing in sports marketing in 1999.

When at the Continental Basketball Association, Thomas launched partnerships with Enlighten Sports and the University of Colorado and the CBA. The new websites allowed fans to watch live game webcasts, use live shot charts, chat with players and more. Thomas said the internet was "and integral part of [the CBA's] strategy to provide engaging and entertaining content for fans." Also, while Thomas was with the Continental Basketball Association he launched a partnership with SEASONTICKET.com to bring personalized video highlights and scores to fans across the country as well as be a portal for All-Star League voting. With Thomas' foresight, he realized that streaming video would be the future of news and entertainment.

In 1998, Thomas founded Isiah.com, a company serving consumers, retailers, and corporations with online gift certificates and other i-commerce products. Isiah.com's first venture was i-gift, a one-stop, online shopping service center for gift certificates. i-gift was praised for being unique because it could drive e-commerce while supporting and expanding brick-and-mortar merchants. He brought the next generation of gift certificates to The Somerset Collection in Michigan, which houses exclusive department stores and retailers. Isiah.com's mission was to "harness internet technologies and leverage business transformation processes to create new business ventures that both produce profits and benefit under-served sectors of the community." Isiah.com also had a partnership with the NBA store.

Thomas purchased the CBA for $10 million, and in 2001 the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded, shortly after NBA Commissioner David Stern decided to create his own development league, the NBDL, to replace the CBA.

Indiana Pacers

From 2000 to 2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers, succeeding Larry Bird, who previously coached the Pacers to the Eastern Conference title. Thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster. However, under Thomas the Pacers were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran-dominated, playoff-experienced team to a younger, less experienced team. In Thomas's first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, both of whom eventually made the NBA Finals.

In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided the Pacers to a 48–34 record in the regular season and coached the Eastern Conference team at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seeded Boston Celtics. With blossoming talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of Reggie Miller, the perception existed that the Pacers' unfulfilled potential stemmed from Thomas' inexperience as a coach. In the offseason, Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with Rick Carlisle.

Hall of Fame

In 2000, Thomas was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

New York Knicks

On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase. At the end of the 2005–06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second-worst record. He traded away several future draft picks to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent-rich drafts, which were LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joakim Noah.

On June 22, 2006, the Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and owner James Dolan replaced him with Thomas under the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired.

During the following season the Knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets, which Thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint. However, he was not fined or suspended. NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he only relied on "definitive information" when handing out punishments. Later in the season, nine months after James Dolan demanded "evident progress", the Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi-year" contract. After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.

During the 2007 Draft, Thomas made another trade by acquiring Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

Thomas also compounded the Knicks' salary cap problems by signing fringe players such as Jerome James and Jared Jeffries to full mid-level exception contracts. Neither player saw any significant playing time and both were often injured and highly ineffective when able to play.

Despite the constant criticism that he received from Knicks fans, Thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around and he predicted that he would lead the Knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the Knicks, just as he had done for the Detroit Pistons. This prediction was met with widespread skepticism.

On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh was introduced to replace Thomas as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. Walsh would not comment definitively on whether or not Thomas would be retained in any capacity at the time of his hiring.

One night after the Knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that in talks with Walsh the week before, Thomas had been told he would not return as Knicks head coach the following season. He was officially "reassigned" on April 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal." Thomas posted an overall winning percentage of .341 as head coach of the Knicks, fifth lowest in team history. As part of the reassignment agreement, Thomas was to serve as a consultant to the team, reporting directly to Walsh. However, he was banned from having contact with any Knicks' players under the rationale that he could willingly or unwillingly undermine the new head coach.

FIU

On April 14, 2009, Thomas accepted an offer to become the head basketball coach of FIU, replacing Sergio Rouco after five losing seasons. Thomas announced that he would donate his first year's salary back to the school. Thomas was quoted as saying, "I did not come here for the money."

After posting a 7–25 record in his first season at FIU, on August 6, 2010, Thomas announced that he was taking a job as consultant to the New York Knicks, while keeping his position as head coach at FIU. According to the New York Daily News, "nearly every major media outlet panned the announcement of Thomas' hire", and it led to a "public outcry" among fans. In a reversal on August 11, Thomas announced that he would not be working with the Knicks because holding both jobs violated NBA by-laws.

Thomas finished his second season at FIU with an 11–19 record (5–11 in conference games). On April 6, 2012, Thomas was fired at FIU, after he went 26–65 in three seasons. Under Thomas, FIU never won more than 11 games in a season.

Back to broadcasting

On December 19, 2012, NBA TV announced that Thomas would begin work on December 21, 2012 as a member of the studio analyst panel. It was also announced that Thomas would become a regular contributor for NBA.com.

New York Liberty

On May 5, 2015, the WNBA New York Liberty hired Thomas as Team President overseeing all business and basketball operations of the franchise.

On June 22, 2015, the Liberty and the WNBA agreed to suspend consideration of Isiah Thomas' ownership application; however, Isiah will remain President of the team overseeing all basketball and business operations of the franchise.

Under Thomas' leadership as team president and the skilled coaching staff led by Bill Laimbeer as head coach, the Liberty finished first in the Eastern Conference during the 2015 season.

On August 2, 2015, during halftime at the game against the Seattle Storm, the New York Liberty inducted WNBA legend Becky Hammon into the Liberty's Ring of Honor. Thomas presented Hammon with her ring during the induction ceremony at Madison Square Garden. Hammon, a former New York Liberty point guard is currently a NBA assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

Cheurlin Champagne

In 2016, Thomas announced that he was the exclusive United States importer of the Cheurlin Champagne brand through, ISIAH Imports, a subsidiary of ISIAH International, LLC. Cheurlin Champagne made its debut in the United States at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA. Other activations have included a private luncheon honoring former President Bill Clinton, and Cheurlin recently debuted at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the final season of the Detroit Pistons at the historic arena. Cheurlin produces two champagne categories: Cheurlin's Brut Speciale and Rose de Saignee; and Cheurlin Thomas' "Celebrite" Blanc de Blanc, and "Le Champion" Blanc de Noir.

Education

Thomas finished his college degree at Indiana University during the Pistons' off seasons and received his Master's in Education from the University of California at Berkeley in 2013. At UC Berkeley, Thomas studied the connection between education and sports, specifically how American society makes education accessible (or inaccessible) to black male college athletes.

Philanthropic work

During his playing career, Thomas paid college tuition for more than 75 youngsters. When he was a Piston, in 1987 Thomas organized the "No Crime Day" in Detroit. He even had the help of Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to call for a moratorium on crime in the summer of 1986.

Also in 1987 Thomas posed for a poster sponsored by the American Library Association with the caption "READ: Isiah Thomas for America's Libraries". Thomas is shown dressed in a Sam Spade type outfit while reading a detective novel.

Thomas founded Mary's Court, a foundation that supports economically disadvantaged parents and children in the communities of Garfield Park and Lawndale on the West Side of Chicago. The charity is named for Thomas's mother, who he credits with instilling in him the importance of hard work and giving back to the community. Mary's Court has teamed up with another Chicago-based charity, Kids off the Block, to serve meals to Chicago children and families during Thanksgiving.

While at FIU, Thomas and Mary's Court donated $50,000 to FIU's First Generation Scholarship and organized a sell-out charity game during the NBA lockout featuring NBA stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with proceeds benefiting Mary's Court. A street on Chicago's West Side was named in honor of his mother.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys & Girls Club of Chicago recognized Thomas's philanthropic work in March 2012 and honored him with the organization's King Legacy Award at their 24th Annual King Legacy Awards Gala. The award is given annually to individuals who have fostered the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through their community contributions.

In July 2012, Thomas joined The Black Men's Roundtable in Florida along with other national and local black leaders to discuss issues that directly affect black males.

The Peace League is an annual community basketball league that brings together young men and women from surrounding communities within the Chicago area and provides a safe haven growth and development; it was established by Thomas and Father Pfleger in 2011. In September 2012, Thomas co-hosted the Ballin' for Peace Tournament at St. Sabina Church in Chicago. He joined with Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Quentin Richardson, Zach Randolph, the Chicago Bears' J'Marcus Webb, pastor Father Michael Pfleger, and others to produce this event, in order to reduce gang violence through communication and basketball. Thomas also stressed the value of education for those in poverty.

The Peace League initiative has expanded into a program which now offers GED classes, employment training, and internship opportunities. The surrounding Auburn-Gresham neighborhood has seen a drastic drop in violence since the league began.

Most recently, the Peace League Tournament was expanded to New York City during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. The New York City Peace Game featured over 50 players from across all five Boroughs that competed in a tournament as well as a brief speaking program with some special guests, supporters and participating organizations at the Harlem PAL that included Harry Belafonte of Sankofa.org, Help USA, Cure Violence, and Connor Sports.

In March 2013, Children Uniting Nations, an organization that focuses on advocacy/awareness and provides academic and community-based programs for at-risk and foster youth, presented Thomas and Mary's Court with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his passion and commitment to improving the lives of children.

In partnership with the Marillac Social Center, Thomas and Mary's Court hosted its Third Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway. Each year Mary's Court provides gifts, clothing and educational items to hundreds of children in Chicago at this signature event.

Humanity of Connection Award

On February 13, 2017, Thomas was presented the AT&T Humanity of Connection Award during its annual Black History Month celebration in honor of Lewis H. Latimer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. He was honored for his historic achievements in sports and his countless contributions to the African American community as a leader in the sports, business and philanthropic industries.

Controversies

Rivalries

In the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, Thomas was joined on the Eastern Conference squad by star rookie Michael Jordan. Jordan wound up attempting nine shots, relatively few for a starting player. Afterward, Thomas and his fellow veteran East players were accused of having planned to "freeze out" Jordan from their offense by not passing him the ball, supposedly out of spite over the attention Jordan was receiving. No player involved has ever confirmed that the freeze-out occurred, but the story has long been reported and has never been refuted by Jordan. Thomas has ridiculed the idea of him being the mastermind behind a supposed freeze-out as "ludicrous", pointing out that he was a relatively young player on a team that included Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Moses Malone. During Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame induction, in which Thomas introduced John Stockton, who was also being inducted, Jordan dismissed the claims about a freeze-out having taken place, saying "I was just happy to be there, being the young guy surrounded by all these greats, I just wanted to prove myself and I hope that I did prove myself to you guys."

In 1987, Thomas was asked if he agreed with Dennis Rodman's comments on Larry Bird, and reinforced that if Bird were black he "would be just another good guy" instead of being portrayed as the league's best player. Thomas later said he was joking and just supporting his teammate.

In the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1991 NBA Playoffs, the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons faced the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Pistons had defeated the Bulls in each of the first three meetings, but this time they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Bulls (who would win the first of three consecutive, and six overall, NBA championships between 1991 and 1998). The series was marked by a number of verbal, physical, and match-up problems. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, Laimbeer organized the walk-out and Thomas and all of his teammates—except Joe Dumars and John Salley—walked off the court, refusing to shake hands with the members of the Bulls. In 1992, Thomas was passed over for the Dream Team apparently because of his strained relationship with Jordan.

In September 2009, during Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Jordan thanked Thomas and others for giving him the motivation he needed to compete in the NBA.

Sexual harassment lawsuit

In January 2006, a former female executive filed an employment and harassment lawsuit against The Madison Square Garden Company. The case was then settled for $11.5 million.

Drug overdose

On October 24, 2008, Thomas was taken to White Plains Hospital Center near his New York City area home after accidentally taking an overdose of Lunesta, a form of sleep medication. He was released from the hospital later that day.

According to Thomas in an interview with ESPN, he explained that he was so quiet about his hospitalization because he was focused on his family at the time.

Wikipedia