Iverson texts Thomas: 'Keep doing your thing. I'm watching'
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
It's such a cliche statement, yet it perfectly describes the basketball tenacity of Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who's widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest "little man" in NBA history.
Isaiah Thomas is currently carrying the torch for undersized talents for the Boston Celtics, making his first All-Star team during the 2015-16 campaign and bringing his elite play over to the current season, averaging 26 points and 6.4 assists in 17 appearances.
"The Answer" has taken notice from afar, texting Thomas to congratulate him on his stellar play as of late.
"Keep doing your thing. I'm watching," Iverson wrote in his message.
When #TheAnswer himself send you a text telling you to keep doing ya thang #RealKilla
— Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_Thomas) November 22, 2016
"It was real early in the morning that he texted, like 8:30, so he must have been watching highlights (of the Minnesota game) or something," Thomas said, according to ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "I told him, 'I appreciate it and that I'm just trying to be like you.' He was like, ‘Say no more.’ Those texts man, it just motivates me to keep going. Someone like that is watching me without me even reaching out to him, so I guess I’m doing something right."
The two have gotten in touch in the past, with Iverson hitting up Thomas prior to the Celtics taking Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round of the playoffs. The 27-year-old went on a scoring tear that evening, dropping 42 points on 12-of-24 shooting.
It's hard to imagine Thomas ever being mentioned in the same breathe as A.I. when it's all said and done, as the four-time scoring champion truly was in a category of player all his own. Nonetheless, his words of encouragement to Thomas have inspired him to keep reaching for the stars in that regard.
Never say never, right?
"I’m getting close," said Thomas. "I’m trying. I’m trying. I’m going to keep going, and to have guys like (Iverson) in my ear that tell me to keep grinding and keep doing my thing is only motivation to continue to get better.
"It’s just like, when you have a stamp from arguably the pound-for-pound best player ever, it's like, I'm not going to listen to nobody else. I already got the stamp. (Iverson) already said I was pretty good and that I’m cut from the same cloth as him. And those type of things only motivate me to keep going."