It has become a common practice in the world of professional sports for players to often times sign their own jersey and gift it to their colleagues, for them to frame it at their respective homes.
This was the case for All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas as The Players’ Tribune documentary about him revealed that he had a LeBron James jersey framed in his household prior to being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There is a strong amount of mutual respect that both Thomas and James share with each other that has grown over the years, in particular, during his time with the Boston Celtics. In the three seasons that he spent in Boston, he helped transform the Celtics into a playoff team, which faced James and the Cavaliers twice over that span.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising to see that Thomas has the 32-year-old’s jersey framed up in his house as there are likely many players in the league that have done the same. James has put together an illustrious career that has seen him become one of the greatest players in NBA history, up through his 15th season.
What this shows, more than anything else is that Thomas already had a great deal of respect for James even before joining him in Cleveland this offseason.