WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Officers who responded to Isiah Thomas’ home after a 911 call reporting an overdose on sleeping pills found a man passed out on the floor and gave him oxygen until an ambulance arrived.
Authorities have not publicly identified Thomas as the victim, but a person familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official police report has not been released, has confirmed it was the former NBA star and New York Knicks coach.
On Tuesday, Harrison Police Chief David Hall provided new details about last week’s emergency in which officers were handed a bottle of prescription pills at Thomas’ Westchester County home.
Hall said the bottle had a name on it, but he would not disclose the precise medication. He said police called the overdose accidental because there was no suicide note and no indication the victim suffered from depression.
Thomas has denied being the victim, and Hall again criticized the ex-coach for saying it was his 17-year-old daughter, Lauren, who required treatment.
“As parents, you try to protect your kids; you don’t say they did something when it was you who did it,” Hall said. “We know the difference between a 47-year-old man and a teenager.”
Thomas’ spokesman, Jesse Derris, said, “This continues to be a private family matter, and the family respectfully asks for privacy.”
A call to Knicks spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz was not immediately returned. Thomas, fired as coach in April, still works for the Knicks.
