Isaiah Thomas Talks All About How Much He Loves Boston on Players’ Tribune

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Isaiah Thomas has emerged as the Celtics’ next great superstar, and for good reason. His highlight reel passes and literally ankle-busting moves have made him a fan favorite amidst this C’s renaissance.

Thomas penned a piece for the Players’ Tribune Friday, in which he professes his love for Boston and its passionate fans. It begins with his Celtics debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, in which he notched 21 points before getting tossed from the game upon his second technical foul. Afraid that fans would hate him for it, a strength coach assured him: “Boston loves that type of stuff.”

Thomas talks about arriving in Boston at the trade deadline in 2015, in the midst of the snowiest winter in the city’s history. Coming from Phoenix, he didn’t own a winter coat, so he bought a North Face and a few beanies. “When I got off the plane, it was snowing. It was so cold. That jacket-beanie combo saved me,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas, 27, said that what happened after the Celtics got swept by LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs last year taught him everything he needed to know about playing in Boston.

“We still lost four straight, and that’s tough to stomach. But when we were walking off the court at the Garden after Game 4, something happened that I had never seen before, anywhere,” he wrote. “The Boston fans got on their feet and started chanting, ‘Let’s go, Celtics!’ They gave their team, who had just been swept, a standing ovation. At that moment, I knew that this city was like no other. Even though the season was over, it felt like we were starting something.”

If Danny Ainge could just forward this to Kevin Durant, that’d be great. In the meantime, you can read Thomas’ ode to Boston here.