Isiah Thomas USA Mens 1980 Olympic Basketball Warm Up

Important American Collector

Sotheby’s is proud to present Isiah Thomas’ 1980 Olympic USA Men’s Basketball Warm Up. 

Led by college star Isiah Thomas, this USA men’s basketball team was the youngest ever assembled at the time and featured many future NBA players such as Rolando Blackman and Thomas’ future teammate Mark Aguirre. The US was set to compete for a gold medal, but due to geopolitical tensions, this team was unable to compete because of the 1980 boycott. This is one of basketball’s great ‘What Ifs’, as the world was never able to see such a young team take on the premier players from around the world on the Olympic stage.  

Despite their age, they had success playing together in the summer of 1980. The team toured the United States to play against NBA All-Stars in various cities, going 5-1. The team played the 1976 Olympic squad, defeating them 81-77 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.  

Isiah Thomas was later drafted 2nd overall in the 1981 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and went on to have a legendary career. The Hall of Famer is considered one of the best ‘small’ guards of all time at 6-foot-1. After leading the Indiana Hoosiers to 2 National Championships, he ranked Top 10 in both steals and assists in his first professional season. The 12-time All-Star performer was known as a ‘feisty competitor’ who played with flair. His role was pivotal in taking the Detroit Pistons from last place in the league to back-to-back championship wins in 1989 and 1990. He was named MVP of the NBA Finals in 1990 and also named All-Star MVP in 1984 and 1986.