"Waiting for this genius moment" - When Isiah Thomas recalled HC Bob Knight's "beautiful" clipboard story

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas was one of Bob Knight's most renowned prospects after playing for him for the Indiana Hoosiers between 1979 and 1981. Thomas won two Big Ten championships and the 1981 national championship.

During a 2024 segment of the "All The Smoke" podcast, the former Detroit Pistons star revealed his favorite moment playing for Knight. It involved Indiana legend Mike Woodson's return from injury as the Hoosiers faced the Iowa Hawkeyes (49:26).

"My freshman year and in my whole time there playing for Coach Knight, I'm waiting for this genius moment," Thomas said. "I'm waiting for him to grab the clipboard and draw up some stuff but I ain't seen no clipboard since I got there. So, we down one in Iowa and we call time out and now I'm like, 'This is the moment. I know he's getting ready to draw up a play.'

"He said, 'Woodson, can you make a shot?' Woody said, 'Yeah, I'll knock it down coach.' He said, 'I want you to move the ball around. Woody get open and I want you to hit it.' And I'm like, 'where is Woody gonna be at?' Woody came on the left side, I hit him and he banks it right off the glass and to me that was the most beautiful moment I ever experienced."

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How Bob Knight won Isiah Thomas' commitment

As a McDonald's All-American in 1979, Isiah Thomas became one of the most highly rated players nationwide. Hence, the legendary Bob Knight booked a trip to Chicago to recruit him personally.

On the "All The Smoke" podcast in 2024, Thomas revealed how different programs had offered his family monetary compensation so that he would play for them. He further revealed how the legendary Knight won his commitment by appealing to his mother, Mary Thomas.

"I remember him sitting there saying, 'You know Mrs. Thomas, I'm only going to offer your son three things,'" Isiah Thomas said. "'A - he's gonna get a good education. B - I'm gonna teach him everything I know about the game of basketball and C - he'll be a gentleman.'"

However, Thomas's family and Bob Knight didn't find a middle ground in the recruitment meeting. The Indiana coach addressed Isiah Thomas's Ku Klux Klan concerns with a joke, which offended his brothers. A fight almost broke out until their mother intervened to decide her son's future.

Following the 1981 national championship with the Indiana Hoosiers - for which he was named the Most Outstanding Player - Thomas declared for the NBA Draft. The Detroit Pistons selected him as the No. 2 overall pick, thus kickstarting his legendary NBA career.