Isaiah Jamar Thomas (born February 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m) [1] point guard played three years of college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was a three-time all-conference selection in the Pac-10. Born to James Thomas and Tina Baldtrip, Isaiah Thomas was named after former Detroit Pistons Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas . A lifelong Lakers fan, James made a bet with a friend that his beloved team would defeat the Pistons in the 1989 Finals or he would name his son after decorated Lakers nemesis Isiah Thomas . He was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington . [4] As a child, he had the nicknames "Bighead" (or Head) from his father and "Zeke" from his mother, after Isiah Thomas's ...