Isiah Thomas to Have 1984 All-Star Game MVP Trophy Returned After Theft

Isiah Thomas' 1984 All-Star Game MVP trophy is being returned to him after it was stolen from St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, in 2019, per ESPN. 

Thomas tweeted about the theft after seeing that Heritage Auction had put the trophy up for sale:

His former coach, Gene Pingatore, holds the record for most wins (1,035) in boys high school basketball in Illinois history. St. Joseph won two state titles (1999, 2015) under his watch.

Heritage Auctions responded by contacting Thomas, a St. Joseph High official and Westchester police. Chris Ivy, Heritage's director of sports auctions, told ESPN's Tom VanHaaren:

"Heritage Auctions does not sell stolen property, so we take any claims of title seriously. Even though each consignor warrants clear title when material is consigned to auction, we do have issues of title or potential stolen property come up a handful of times per year. In those instances, we investigate to validate any claims, and if the title is in question, then the lot is removed from auction until the dispute can be settled."

Thomas had other items stolen, including his Hall of Fame plaque, though it's unclear if those have been found. But getting back the All-Star Game trophy was a start. 

"For me and my family, the silver lining in all of this is that it showed up at your house [Heritage Auctions]," Thomas said Tuesday. "We never would have known, so we are grateful and I am thankful that the item was found and will be returned."