Isaiah Thomas on NBA Retirement: 'I Want to Play Until I Can't No More'

Despite his recent struggles with injuries, Denver Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas isn't planning on retiring anytime soon.

In an interview with Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated, Thomas said that he wants to keep playing for as long as he can: "I'm playing until I'm 40. ... I want to play until I can't no more. For sure."

Recovery from hip surgery limited the 30-year-old to 12 games during the 2018-19 regular season, but with Denver making the playoffs as the Western Conference's No. 2 seed, Thomas will have an opportunity to make a big impact off the bench for the Nuggets.

After returning to the court this season, the 5'9" guard averaged 8.1 points and 1.9 assists in 15.1 minutes per game as a reserve for the Nuggets.

He signed a one-year deal with Denver during the offseason after splitting the 2017-18 campaign between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Cleveland acquired Thomas from the Boston Celtics as part of the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston.

Thomas was coming off a 2016-17 season in which he averaged a career-high 28.9 points per game, but because of a hip injury, he appeared in just 32 games in 2017-18, averaging 15.2 points and 4.8 assists per contest.

Now that he is further removed from hip surgery, Thomas insists that he is feeling good and ready to reclaim his spot as a top player in the NBA: "I'm good, I'm good. All I know is to keep going. And I know, like I keep saying, if I ever get the opportunity again, I'm running back up and they won't be able to take it from me this time."

Thomas is a two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection dating back to his time with the Celtics, and it was only two seasons ago that he was a legitimate MVP candidate.

While Thomas is behind the likes of Jamal Murray and Monte Morris on Denver's depth chart, he is capable of providing an offensive spark of the bench and taking over games if he gets enough run.

Denver is arguably the biggest threat to the top-seeded Golden State Warriors in the West this season, and if Thomas helps the Nuggets go on a deep playoff run, he has a chance to land a substantial contract in the offseason.