Isiah Thomas is among the players born on Apr. 30.
With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three Leap-Day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues. Below are the most notable NBA players born on Apr. 30.
Isiah Thomas (1961)
Many people consider “Zeke” to be one of the greatest guards of all time. It all started when Thomas was the second overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. That was one of this franchise’s most valuable draft picks, with Thomas spending his whole 13-year career in the Motor City.
The point guard kickstarted his career with an All-Star appearance in his rookie season, finishing 17th in MVP voting as well. That was his first of 12 straight All-Star appearances, with Thomas receiving MVP votes in 10 of those. His best season was 1985, when he averaged 21.2 points and a league-best 13.9 assists per game. His individual statistics were secondary to his team’s success, with Thomas leading the Pistons to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. Fans were disappointed to see Thomas officially retire in 1994, averaging 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.9 steals throughout his 13-year career. All of that earned Thomas a Hall of Fame induction in 2000.
Luis Scola (1980)
It’s rare to have such a successful career after being an undrafted 27-year-old rookie, but that’s what Scola accomplished. The big man spent his first eight seasons playing in Argentina and Europe before officially signing with the Houston Rockets in 2007. That was a smart signing, with Scola finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.
He took over as a starter the following year, averaging a career-high 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2011. He only played one more year with the Rockets after that, suiting up for the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors over the final five years of his NBA career. Scola decided to play four more years overseas before playing his final professional game in 2021. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever from Argentina.
Want to see every NBA player born on April 30? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Bob Knight (April 30, 1929)
- Paul Scranton (April 30, 1944)
- Rick Weitzman (April 30, 1946)
- Marty Byrnes (April 30, 1956)
- Ron Cavenall (April 30, 1959)
- B.J. Tyler (April 30, 1971)
- Quinton Ross (April 30, 1981)
- Brandon Bass (April 30, 1985)
- Brandon Paul (April 30, 1991)
- T.J. Leaf (April 30, 1997)
