Isiah Thomas once punched his teammate, but that’s not the ‘craziest’ part, says former Pistons player

Isiah Thomas broke his hand after punching Bill Laimbeer

Back during the 1980s and 1990s, being a tough guy catapulted NBA stars to popularity. Be it Jordan or Thomas, they all had their fair share of stories about altercations.

Speaking of Zeke, former Pistons player Olden Polynice revealed an altercation between the 2x NBA champion and Laimbeer.

“We were in practice, I don’t even know how the fight got started. But all of a sudden they start arguing with each other.

“For some reason, I’m always involved in fights. I’m supposed to be there to help somebody,” Polynice said on Fastbreak.

He added: “Isiah clocked Laimbeer. I love Isiah. Threw the punch. Laimbeer went like this [nods forward], put his head down. BAM. Isiah broke his hand. On his head.”

Let’s not forget Laimbeer was considered the muscle of the Bad Boys Pistons because of his 6’11” frame. Despite that, Thomas didn’t back down from the fight, albeit breaking his hand in the process.

Olden Polynice reveals the ‘craziest’ part of the fight

One might think Thomas breaking his hand would be the craziest part of the fight. However, according to Polynice, that’s not the case.

In fact, what happened on the team flight ahead of the team’s next game shocked Polynice.

“Here’s the craziest part about it. We had to fly out for a game. I’m sitting here on the end, Isiah’s here, Laimbeer’s here, and Joe Dumars here,” he continued.

“We’re all playing cards as if nothing happened, and Isiah got a cast on his hand,” Polynice concluded.

The story proves why that version of the Pistons was simply unstoppable in the NBA. Even internal conflict didn’t stop them from being the utmost professionals on the court.