Isiah Thomas will replace Phil Jackson, James Dolan or both with the Knicks, mark my words.
Gumbel speaks with Isiah Thomas and James Dolan, owner of the Knicks and Liberty, about Thomas’ second chance in New York. Real Sports debuts Tuesday, October 20 at 10pm ET/PT on HBO.
*Back to the Garden. Isiah Thomas was one of the greatest point guards ever to grace the hardwood. He won a National Championship as a member of the 1981 Indiana Hoosiers and enjoyed a hall of fame career as a member of the Detroit Pistons in the 1980s and ‘90s, making 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances and winning back-to-back NBA Finals as a member of the team dubbed the “Bad Boys.”
Since the end of his playing days, however, Thomas has seen little success in the game; his tenure as head coach and general manager of the New York Knicks was famously plagued by controversy. Now, more than seven years after his departure from the Knicks, Thomas is back at Madison Square Garden in his new role as president overseeing business and basketball operations for the WNBA’s New York Liberty. In a rare interview, host Bryant Gumbel speaks with James Dolan, owner of the Knicks and Liberty, about Thomas’ second chance in New York, despite his notable failures, and sits down with the 54-year-old Thomas to discuss his unlikely return to the Big Apple.
Producer: Maggie Burbank.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.