Isiah Thomas is working for Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan again — this time to run the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
Thomas will serve as the Liberty’s president, with responsibility for basketball and business operations, the team said Tuesday. He also has an ownership interest in the franchise.
"Over the last couple of months Jim and I talked," Thomas told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday. "We talked about the ideas and the way that there was a growth opportunity for the New York Liberty. Women’s basketball is an exciting opportunity. It’s something I wanted to be a part of."
Dolan’s Knicks didn’t win a single playoff game during Thomas’ stint as team president from December 2003 to April 2008 despite regularly owning the NBA’s highest payroll. Thomas also went 56-108 in two seasons as their coach before being fired. He will have no involvement with the Knicks in his new role with the Liberty.
Thomas, who started working with the Liberty in January, said he had no qualms about coming back to New York.
"I look forward to the challenge as opposed to having any trepidation about it," Thomas said. "For me, I love basketball and having the opportunity to be president of a team and be part of a team is a great experience and I’m excited about it."
After being fired, he remained with the Knicks in an unspecified role, even after a lawsuit brought by former team employee Anucha Browne Sanders that cost MSG $11.6 million. Sanders alleged she was sexually harassed by Thomas, who maintained his innocence and was never found personally liable.
"I asked questions about what happened and am comfortable with MSG’s position on the trial," said Kristin Bernert, who is the senior vice-president of business operations for the Liberty and the team’s general manager. "I tend to take people for who they are now and my personal dealings with them."
Thomas oversaw the rehiring of former Pistons teammate Bill Laimbeer as coach and a blockbuster trade for Epiphanny Prince. Dolan called Thomas an "excellent judge of talent."
A Hall of Fame, championship-winning point guard in Detroit, Thomas has failed to match that success in his post-playing career. He tried college coaching after leaving the Knicks but was fired by Florida International in 2012 after going 26-65 in three seasons.
While Thomas was with FIU, Dolan tried to hire him as a consultant in 2010, but that plan was scrapped because it violated NBA rules.
