Isaiah Thomas Got An Incredible Ovation From The Crowd The Day After His Sister’s Death

The big question going into Game 1 of the Celtics-Bulls’ first-round series on Sunday was whether Isaiah Thomas would play. He and his family have been in mourning since his sister Chyna, 22, died tragically in a car crash over the weekend in Washington state, and during warm-ups prior to the game, an emotional Thomas was seen sitting with his head in hands on the sideline and being consoled by his teammates.

But word came before tip-off that Thomas would indeed try to play today, and when he led his squad out of the tunnel, the home crowd gave their All-Star point guard a resounding ovation. Those deafening cheers continued during player introductions and into the first quarter of action.

The MVP chants followed soon after as he shot his first free-throws of the game.

And when Thomas connected on his first three-point attempt, TD Garden absolutely erupted.

It’s difficult to imagine what Thomas is going through today, but all the support from the Celtics fan-base is certainly making for touching experience in Game 1. Head coach Brad Stevens said it would be entirely up to Thomas in terms of how much playing time he’d see in Game 1, but his 13 points in the opening quarter have propelled Boston to an early lead.