The stars were out for the 2024 NHL Winter Classic between the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. Among them were Wayne Gretzky and former NBA star Isaiah Thomas, who was ecstatic to meet "The Great One."
Thomas, along with fellow Washington native and NBA star Jamal Crawford, were taking in the event from a dugout in T-Mobile Park when Crawford informed Thomas that Gretzky was in the building. As soon as Thomas found that out, he was on a mission to catch a glimpse of the greatest player ever to step on the ice.
"I gotta see him," Thomas said. "I ain't even gotta meet him. I just gotta see him. It's like Jordan, bro."
Isaiah Thomas was just like all of us if we got to meet the GOAT 🐐🔥 pic.twitter.com/HxrkFshpFE
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 2, 2024
Eventually, Thomas had his wish fulfilled, and he even got to introduce himself to Gretzky. Needless to say, Thomas was fired up about the experience.
I met Wayne Gretzky today!!!! & he knew who I was LOL. That’s crazy 🔥
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 1, 2024
Between Thomas and Gretzky, there were a lot of collective points in that handshake. Thomas averaged 17.7 points per game in his 11-season NBA career, and Gretzky is the NHL's all-time leader with 2,857.
Not only did Thomas get to meet "The Great One," but he also got to witness an impressive outdoor effort from the home team. The Kraken cruised to a 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in front of a crowd of 47,313.
