Isaiah Thomas Celtics Funny Yearbook Names
With the NBA preseason just one month away, it's time for you Boston Celtics diehards to really get to know the members of the 2015-16 roster.
A few weeks ago we dealt out five fun facts on five of Boston's newest offseason acquisitions. This time around we've mixed up the cast, ranging from rookies Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey, to established veterans Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner.
While you wait in anticipation for the C's to take the court, brush up on your team trivia with five facts on each of the five players listed below.
Isaiah Thomas
Thomas came to the Celtics from Phoenix in a midseason trade in February and became Boston's top scorer, averaging 19 points off the bench. Here are his five facts:
- Thomas is originally from Tacoma, Wash., but he's familiar with New England having played two seasons of high school basketball at the South Kent School in Connecticut.
- His father, a diehard Laker fan, made a bet with a friend that L.A. would beat Detroit in the 1989 NBA Finals; if he lost, he would name his son after Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas. His son was born before the bet could be decided, but he fell in love with the name; however, his wife pushed for the biblical spelling: Isaiah.
- Before his sophomore season tipped off, the athletic 5-foot-9 guard won the University of Washington's Midnight Madness dunk contest when he leaped over a 6-9 teammate for a slam.
- Thomas won the 2011 Pac-10 title with a game-winning buzzer beater in overtime to upset Arizona, 77-75.
- Despite being the last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, Thomas impressed during his rookie season with Sacramento, winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors twice and earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Evan Turner
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft just finished up his first season with the C's and was arguably the most well-rounded player on the team. Here are Turner's five facts:
- He earned 2010 National Player of the Year honors during his junior season at Ohio State University, when he averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
- Turner holds the record for earning the most single season and career Big Ten Conference Player of the Week awards, with seven and 10 respectively.
- Before he reached the age of one, Turner battled asthma, chickenpox, measles and pneumonia.
- He was middle school teammates with Cleveland Cavalier guard Iman Shumpert at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Chicago. He then attended St. Joseph's High School, the alma mater of NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas.
- Last season, his first with the Celtics, Turner led the team in assists (449), defensive rebounds (377), triple-doubles (3) and games played (82 – tied with Tyler Zeller and Brandon Bass).
Terry Rozier
The Celtics selected Rozier with their first pick, the 16th overall, in the 2015 NBA Draft. Here are his five facts:
- When he was in sixth grade, the Ohio native set a goal to play for Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville. On. Sept. 11, 2011, Rozier committed to his dream university.
- Rozier erupted for 68 points in a single game during his postgrad prep year at Hargrave Military Academy. He made 19-of-37 shots, eight 3-pointers, was 22-of-24 from the free throw line, and notched 55 points after halftime.
- Last season as a sophomore at Louisville, Rozier led the ACC with 2.0 steals per game and was the fourth-highest scorer in the conference, averaging 17.1 points per contest.
- After the Celtics drafted him 16th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Rozier jumped in a pool while dressed in a full suit.
- His favorite food is – brace yourselves – spaghetti mixed with sugar and ranch dressing. A few weeks ago he shared his masterpiece in sandwich form with The Starters on NBA TV.
R. J. Hunter
Boston drafted this sharpshooting NCAA Tournament hero with the 28th overall pick of this year's Draft. Here are five facts on Hunter:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens recruited Hunter out of high school while he was coaching at Butler University.
- Despite Stevens' pitch, he opted to play for the Georgia State University basketball team, which is coached by his father Ron Hunter.
- His godfather is Ron Harper, who won five NBA titles during the final six years of his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Lakers.
- Hunter is the all-time GSU leader in points (1,819), free throws made (448), free throw percentage (.853) and 3-pointers made (253).
- He was named Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the year during his freshman season. Georgia State then moved to the Sun Belt Conference and he won player of the year honors during each of the next two seasons.
Jordan Mickey
The C's have needed an elite shot-blocker for years, so they drafted this swat machine with the 33rd overall pick in June's Draft. Here are Mickey's five facts:
- Mickey led the NCAA in blocked shots per game last season, averaging 3.6 blocks per contest.
- He and Shaquille O'Neal are the only players in Louisiana State University basketball history to block at least 100 shots in a single season. O'Neal did it three times and Mickey did it during both of his collegiate seasons.
- He led the SEC in rebounding last season with 9.9 boards per game and finished fifth in scoring (15.4 PPG). He needed just two more rebounds to average a double-double.
- His father, James Wright, was a star center at Abilene Christian University. He averaged 15.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game during the 1984-85 season and was named Lone Star Conference MVP.
- During the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League, Mickey averaged 13.8 points on 53 percent shooting, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game over a five-game stretch.
Source: https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/five-facts-thomas-turner-rozier-hunter-mickey
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