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Isiah Thomas made a stunning revelation about his health.
The Hall of Famer — and former Knicks coach and GM — said he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy while telling a story about legendary Indiana coach Bob Knight during an appearance on Marc Jackson’s “Come And Talk 2 Me” on Friday.
“I’ve gotten a lot of love from people saying, ‘Well, Isiah’s sick. What is he going through?’” Thomas said. “I haven’t really told anybody, but I’ve got Bell’s palsy. … That’s why you see me like this. I appreciate the prayers and the love. That’s what’s happening with my mouth right now. I just wanted everyone to know that.”
Jackson responded by saying: “You look great to us.”
Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the facial muscles on one side, according to the Mayo Clinic.
That makes half of the face appear to droop, smiles to be one-sided and the eye can become hard to close.
The cause is unknown.
The condition can improve over time, but a small group of people have symptoms for life.
Thomas, 63, provided more details later during his return to NBA TV’s pregame show, where he works as an analyst.
“As you know, I got a little Bell’s palsy,” he said. “I’m dealing with it. I’m showing up. I ain’t taking off, but I just wanted everybody to know that I appreciate your prayers and thank you for everything. They said it’s a temporary condition. It’s gonna get better over time. But thank you for hanging with me.”
The two-time NBA champion with the Pistons isn’t the first sports figure to be diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, as the 76ers’ Joel Embiid, former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, former NBA star Evan Turner and famed pro wrestling announcer Jim Ross have all opened up about dealing with the condition.
Thomas, who won a national championship at Indiana, spent all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Pistons and was a 12-time All-Star.
He went on to coach the Knicks, Pacers and Florida Atlantic.
He was also the team president of the Knicks, Raptors and the Liberty.
His time on the Knicks bench was a failed one as he went just 56-108 in two seasons.
