Long removed from his Hall of Fame playing career, Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas now hangs around the game as a TV analyst. As the regular season comes to a close, he sounded off on LeBron James for his pre-game actions.
On Friday night, LeBron and the LA Lakers squared off against another one of the West’s top seeds in the Houston Rockets. While preparing for the game, the 21-time All-Star was seen on the floor warming up without a shirt on.
While on NBA TV, Thomas shared his thoughts on LeBron’s attire before squaring off against the Rockets. He didn’t approve of the clothing choice, or lack thereof, and feels it’s a growing trend of a lack of professionalism across the league.
“I just think the professionalism in our NBA league has diminished so much,” Thomas said. “To walk out on the floor before a game with no shirt on and shoot. Come on man, where we at? What we doing? Where we at?”
Isiah Thomas goes off on LeBron James for warming up shirtless and in a durag
“the professionalism in our NBA league has diminished so much.”
(h/t @awfulannouncing )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 12, 2025
As expected, Thomas’ remarks quickly started spreading on social media and led to a series of reactions. Among those to chime in with their thoughts was longtime NBA analyst Skip Bayless. He applauded Thomas for sharing his true thoughts on LeBron’s actions and brought up that there isn’t an old-school bias given the legendary point guard’s relationship with Michael Jordan.
Loved it that Isiah Thomas on NBA TV called out LeBron and said he should be fined for warming up shirtless. Took guts to spit that truth. Isiah has guts. And you certainly can’t dismiss Isiah as just another old-school Jordan guy.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 12, 2025
Dating back to his days as a player, Thomas has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind. Now an ambassador for the league, he wants to see the current generation of players do their part in maintaining the NBA’s upstanding reputation.
