Isiah Thomas' heyday came during the 1980s, which was an era dominated by numerous talented guards. From the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson, to John Stockton, to Mo Cheeks and the incomparable Michael Jordan, every gameday brought a different challenge for the 6'1" hoops icon from Chicago .
However, when asked on "The Crossover Podcast" who his toughest cover was, Thomas's answer wasn't typical. While many expected him to name Magic or even Stockton as players he had trouble checking, he didn't mention either. Instead, he mentioned a second-round pick from the 1984 NBA Draft who never even averaged in double-figures in his eight NBA seasons: Steve Colter.
Even the most ardent NBA fan and historian might not remember who Colter is. For the uninitiated, Colter was a 6'3" guard who was born in Phoenix and played college basketball at New Mexico State. He was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers but ended up playing for five other teams.
He was a career backup guard who averaged 6.3 points in his 18.2 minutes a game. That said, Thomas was defiant in asserting that Colter was a handful to deal with and a player he just couldn't stay in front of, specifically because of his patented move.
"I couldn't guard him. I called it the crooked leg," the Hall of Famer shared .
"What he would do, man, he would step that way. He would be dribbling. So he got the ball and he going this way. Put his left and throw it behind his back. Thought he had it, and you sliding," Zeke animatedly illustrated. "And so I tried to copy it. But you break your leg trying to stop like that."
Thomas is considered one of the greatest competitors in NBA history. It didn't matter who was in front of him or whatever ailments he had at any time; if he could run and jump, he would be out there trying to will his Detroit Pistons to victory.
However, whenever Colter was on deck, it was a different story. It wasn't that he was afraid of Colter; he just didn't want to fight a losing battle. He was resigned to Colter running circles around him with his unorthodox set of moves, so the Pistons were better off having someone else assigned to him.
"Jeff Malone averaging 24, 25 a night. Steve Colter, the point guard. I say to Joe (Dumars), 'Let me get Jeff Malone,'" Thomas remembered. "You got Steve. He was that cold."
Zeke was hardly Steve's only victim. All-Star guard Tim Hardaway also shared how the shifty guard shook him so badly that he thought Steve's moves violated some basketball rule.
"I asked the referee. I said, 'That's got to be a violation.' He's doing something wrong," Tim Bug shared, sending everyone laughing. "You just know you couldn't stop it."
Thomas chimed right back in, saying that playing physical defense on Colter made it even worse, as the latter was slippery as an eel.
"Like you say, 'Well, you got to get into him.' Which I did. That made it worse," Zeke stated. "I would be into him, right? He's slipping right on."
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
