The West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is known for its complex reputation. It struggles with issues like poverty, crime, and racial tensions. One person who can speak to this is NBA legend Isiah Thomas , one of the neighborhood’s most famous sons. Growing up in such a challenging environment was certainly difficult—something Zeke reflected on many years later.
“To me, the West Side was strictly about survival. Every day was about surviving. How you’re going to eat, how you’re going to act in school. It was a test of your instincts. There were no written rules. Everything was about how well you listened, how well you observed, and how quickly you processed that,” remarked Thomas in 2004, per the New York Times.
A childhood marked by hardship
Long before Thomas, born in 1961, became one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, he was just a young boy facing life’s challenges. Those included growing up without the steady presence of a father. His dad, Isiah Thomas II, left the family after a difficult downward spiral. He initially had a stable job but lost it, later became a janitor, and eventually fell into depression.