Former NBA star Isiah Thomas openly criticized Luka Doncic and the current culture among NBA players during an appearance on Run It Back.
Thomas said, “Hey, anytime you have Luka on your team, you got a chance to win because he’s good enough to come in your building on the playoff night and upset you and your fans, right? So, he can win a game on the road by himself cuz he can drop 50 on you and laugh in your face while he doing it.”
Despite acknowledging Doncic’s talent, Thomas compared him unfavorably to other stars. “I don’t know if he’s done what Wemby has done. Wemby has put you in championship conversation. Jaylen Brown holding on until Tatum comes back puts you in championship conversation. Luka puts you in, okay, we good in the playoffs, we’ve exceeded expectations, but we’re not talking about the Lakers winning the championship this year.”
Thomas then turned to Doncic’s frequent complaints to referees, drawing a broader critique of today’s players. “I’m gonna call y’all a generation of whiners, too. Y’all whine a lot, you know.”
He contrasted this with his era, highlighting a different approach to officiating disputes. “Go back and look at 1988, the Phantom File, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar against Bill Laimbeer. That cost us the series in game six. We all was like in disbelief, but it was no, ‘well, you didn’t get to do this either.’” Thomas noted that respect for veterans has changed over time. “I love when y’all call me OG because it’s a sign of respect, but it also lets me know, okay, it’s different.”
Beyond basketball, Thomas shared personal updates regarding his recovery from Bell’s Palsy. “Everyone who has been praying for me and watching me go through my Bells Palsy, I appreciate y’all, you know, praying for me and letting me work through this. I don’t hide from it. People have seen me at my worst. As I continue to work through this, it’s getting better.”
Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring this season with 33.6 points per game while averaging 8.3 assists and 7.8 rebounds across 61 games. Despite his individual success, the Lakers sit third in the Western Conference with a 47-26 record, 10 games behind Oklahoma City for the top spot.
