French soccer star a member of IT fan club
From one 5-foot-9 scorer to another, Antoine Griezmann met and paid respect to a player he had only admired from afar prior to last night — Isaiah Thomas.
Griezmann, the 26-year-old star forward of France’s national soccer team and Atletico Madrid, met the Celtics point guard in the back lobby near the Celtics locker room prior to Game 5 at the Garden, and each immediately saw something familiar in the other.
“I have huge respect for you and all you have been through,” Griezmann, wearing a No. 99 (Jae Crowder) jersey, told Thomas through an interpreter.
A beaming Thomas, recognizing a member of the little man brotherhood, replied, “Us little guys got to stick together. I’m just doing my job.”
As is Griezmann, who despite his relatively young age and rise to prominence in the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, had trouble finding believers in the soccer establishment.
“It’s not exactly the beginnings of Isaiah, but when I was young I had difficulties getting into professional ball because of my size,” Griezmann said before meeting Thomas. “But at the end he’s still one of the greatest players in the NBA.
“He’s really inspiring because of his size and being a great player,” he said. “When he was drafted he was the last pick, and being such a legend he really impresses me. Playing despite what happened to his sister shows that he’s a great man.”
Griezmann was moved by Thomas’ decision to play in the Celtics’ April 16 playoff opener, a day after the death of his younger sister Chyna in a car crash, and on April 17 posted the following tweet on his account @AntoGriezmann.
“My great respect to @Isaiah_ Thomas what he has done yesterday is worthy of a great man and a great sportsman. All of my energy is with you.”
The tweet was punctuated by a praying hands emoji, and accompanied by a picture of Thomas alone on the Garden floor.
Griezmann first developed an interest in the NBA four years ago through a teammate, and is a Derrick Rose fan with an allegiance to whatever team the current Knick happens to be playing for. But he admits that his scoring style is very much in line with the Celtics guard.
“What I love about him is he’s always trying to beat people, whether it’s in front of the basket or shooting 3-pointers,” he said. “What he does is very impressive.”