NBA HOF’er Isiah Thomas says Grandmaster Flash, Tupac and P-Funk have all graced his music playlist

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Isiah Barber

Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas checked in with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson and discussed his musical preferences on Scoop B Radio. Press Play Below To Listen! 

Elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, Isiah Thomas was a member of the two-time NBA Champion Detroit Pistons during their “Bad Boy” era.

How does one get so much motivation?

Music perhaps?

Appearing on a recent episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Thomas gave me a few anecdotes on some his favorite music cuts.

A Chicago, Illinois native and twelve-time NBA All Star during his NBA career, Thomas, now President of the WNBA’s New York Liberty and analyst on Turner sports is no slouch when it comes to music.

Check out our brief Q & A:

BOSTON – 1987: Isiah Thomas #11 of the Detroit Pistons moves the ball up court against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1987 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: I talked to Charles Barkley recently and I asked him: ‘What songs did he listen to, when he played in the league and post league?’ And he said his favorite song was Nas’ ‘Hate Me Now’ because the higher you go up on the elevator, the more people hate you for the level of success that you have. Was there a song that got you motivated to get through either people hating you or to just to keep you calm before a game?  Was there a particular song that you had as a ritual?

Isiah Thomas: I had a couple songs as time progressed. I was fortunate enough to grow up hearing the Motown sound, and then the P-Funk era. Then I caught the beginning of Grandmaster Flash and that crew. My favorite song always has been, just to get me fired up…I always went back to P-Funk the Funkadelic’s, ‘Don’t Fail Me Now,’ ‘Flashlights,’ and I will mix that in with a little Grandmaster Flash’s: “Don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge.” And then I’ll probably hit it with ‘The Freaks Come out at Night.’

Grandmaster Flash’s The Message was a hit

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: What, What!

Isiah Thomas: I was feeling all of that, you know and as I got older, you know as time moved on; you had some ‘Me Against the World,’ you some ‘Changes’ you had some ‘Pac, you had all that stuff coming in. That was kind of my music to get me going, to get me motivated.

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