Isiah Thomas was one of the faces of the NBA back in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the leader of the Detroit Pistons, largely influenced youngsters with his ability, and showed everyone that victory could be achieved even with his short stature. Back in 1990, Thomas was able to meet another leader who was extremely influential among the people.

But this was not on the basketball court. In June 1990, the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, visited Detroit to seek help and spread awareness against the apartheid system in South Africa.

Isiah Thomas met Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela served almost three decades in prison. A few months after he was released in 1991, Mandela went to Detroit. This is because the city was openly talking about the issues in the community back in the day.

Isiah Thomas was lucky enough to meet and share a moment with Mandela back then. Now, years later, he remembers the meeting in 1990 by sharing an image on Twitter.

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Isiah Thomas posted an image of Nelson Mandela when he visited Detroit. He captioned the post, “Love is in need of love today ❤️“.

Having won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990, the team as a whole was given countless opportunities to express their feelings to the community.

Isiah Thomas and the rest of the team used this opportunity to talk about the issues surrounding race, class, and gender in society. Mandela, following his years of work to end apartheid in South Africa, was greatly appreciative of the work being done in Detroit.

Why did Mandela choose Detroit?

The main reason for Mandela’s visit to the USA was to push for corporate and government sanctions to pressure South Africa to end apartheid. Detroit was the first of eight North American cities that were part of his tour.

He went there because he heard about how outspoken the people of Detroit were. They were fighting for equality and also followed many of Mandela’s teachings. The 71-year-old was released a few months prior, in February. After arriving at the airport, civil rights activist Rosa Parks was one of the first people to greet Mandela.

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Later that day, Mandela addressed almost 50,000 people who came to see him. After his speech, he was visited by none other than Detroit Pistons legends Isiah Thomas and John Sally.

That’s when he was gifted a Pistons jacket and hat. He was later photographed wearing it. This is forever etched as one of the most iconic moments in Detroit’s history.