Isiah Thomas

Isiah Lord Thomas III, a basketball icon from Chicago's West Side, boasts a three-decade career in business and sports. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he is celebrated for his Detroit Pistons legacy, leading to back-to-back NBA Championships and 12 All-Star appearances. Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, Thomas was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams.

Thomas played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore. He was selected as the second overall pick by the Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft, and played for them his entire career.

Post-retirement, Thomas was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television sports commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He later served as men's basketball coach for the Florida International University Golden Panthers for three seasons, and was a president and part owner of the WNBA team, the New York Liberty.

Off the court, Thomas began his entrepreneurial journey mid-NBA tenure. He is the owner and CEO of Isiah International LLC, a holding company founded in 1990 with interests in a diversified portfolio of companies including champagne imports, real estate, utility and pipeline services, and hemp products.