There's no doubt that Isiah Thomas ' NBA career was a huge success. "Zeke," as he was affectionately called, was a two-time NBA champion, a 12-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, a two-time All-Star MVP, a finals MVP, a Hall of Famer, and one of the NBA's 75 Greatest Players.
Apart from the accolades, Thomas left a legacy as one of the most beloved players in Detroit Pistons basketball history. He's widely regarded as one of the toughest players the league has ever seen, and he's considered one of the best point guards to ever play in the NBA.
Whether it be stats, accolades, or legacy, by all accounts, Thomas had himself a very fruitful and successful basketball career.
Knowing that he came from a hard upbringing in the South Side of Chicago , Thomas becoming one of the greatest hoopers ever is definitely a success story.
But if you ask the legend himself, his success story isn't rooted in the statistics he recorded, the milestones he accomplished, or the impact he left on the game. Instead, Thomas considers what he was able to do for his family as the true success story.
Thomas played 13 years in the NBA, and in that span, he reportedly earned an estimated $16,681,000. According to the Pistons legend, he spent all of that money to be able to lift his family out of poverty.
"I spent all my NBA money cleaning up my family, laying the foundation so they'll have a chance to get out of poverty, my nieces, my nephews, my kids, my cousins," Thomas told Forbes Magazine writer and editor Jabari Young.
"I still have some that don't eat or are living in hard times, but for the most part, the thing that I'm most proud of is that most of my nieces, nephews, when they go to the refrigerator, there's some food in the refrigerator. When they leave their job, they have a house to go to, an apartment to stay in, and most of them have either graduated from college, or had two-three years of college," the two-time Champ added.
Thomas also discussed offering his nephews and nieces six-month internships at his companies, so they can learn to work and fend for themselves in a corporate environment.
As impressive as his NBA career was, Thomas being able to take care of his family and set them up for the future in terms of being able to work is probably even more impressive.
Thomas added that the NBA was make-or-break for him.
"To me, that's the success story. Not what I've done, but what my family is able to do now because literally, we were hanging on by a thread. If I don't make it to the NBA, honestly, I don't know what happens to us," he admitted.
"I don't know where the Thomas family goes, because we were that close, and drugs and gangbanging, I grew up with murderers, literally, and everyday, you had to make a decision, if you was going to go right or left, and you had to make the right decision, because if you chose wrong, you might not make it home," Thomas added.
Fortunately for Thomas and his family, he was able to have a highly successful NBA career. And while many other NBA players focus on themselves and their wants and needs the moment they find success, Thomas said he wanted to focus on the people around him.
Speaking of investments, Thomas went on to become a successful businessman and entrepreneur after his playing days were over.
Thomas became one of the first African-American NBA owners, serving as a part-owner and executive vice president of the Toronto Raptors in 1994.
He also began preparing for the future while still in the league, as he invested in a number of private ventures through his Michigan-based investment firm, Isiah Investments. He later founded and led Isiah International LLC, a diversified holding company with interests spanning waste management, recycling, finance, real estate, e-commerce, private aviation, consumer goods, and cannabis.
Thomas also made history as the first African-American elected to the Chicago Stock Exchange's board of governors.
Alongside his corporate ventures, Thomas has focused heavily on real estate development and reinvestment in distressed communities, positioning himself as both a hands-on operator and a catalyst for long-term economic revitalization.
Using a successful career in the NBA to set himself and his family up for the future, Thomas indeed put his earnings to very good use.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
