Isaiah Thomas’s 53-point performance earns praise from his idol: Kobe Bryant
Bryant also bestowed Thomas a new nickname.
Isaiah Thomas’s historic Game 2 performance Tuesday received near unanimous acclaim — including from a longtime villain to Celtics fans, who also happens to also be Thomas’s all-time favorite basketball player.
Retired Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who has never been a fan of the Celtics, even bestowed Thomas a new nickname his astonishing 53-point explosion against the Washington Wizards.
After fellow former NBA player Matt Bonner (who received his enduring “Red Mamba” nickname from Bryant, aka “The Black Mamba“) riffed that the 5-foot-9 Celtics guard should be nicknamed “The Mini Mamba,” Bryant responded early Wednesday morning with his own moniker for Thomas.
Nope. He plays with #MambaMentality but he is now and forever will be known as the #MightyIT https://t.co/tWH8FEH9Lz
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 3, 2017
Bonner subsequently endorsed Bryant’s suggestion. “Mighty IT” appears to originate from a recent ESPN video segment, in which Bryant narrates Thomas’s ascent.
During Bryant’s retirement tour last season, he and Thomas met for a 20-minute one-on-one conversation before the then-37-year-old’s final game in Boston.
“It was probably the best talk I’ve ever had,” Thomas said at the time.
The 28-year-old guard, who grew up idolizing Bryant, also regularly wears Celtics-themed versions of his idol’s signature Nike sneakers. Tuesday’s game was no exception.
Isaiah Thomas pictured during Tuesday’s game wearing a pair of Nike’s Kobe A.D. basketball shoes.
