BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- Isiah Thomas, who led the Detroit Pistons to their second straight NBA title last week, is threatening a lawsuit over accusations linking him to a gambling investigation.
'I'm an open book,' Thomas told reporters in an interview conducted Saturday at his attorney's office. 'I'm so mad right now because I don't deserve this.'
Thomas, named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA Finals as the Pistons eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. But as the team was returning to Detroit with its second straight NBA championship trophy, reports surfaced linking Thomas to a grand jury probe of a nationwide gambling operation.
The Detroit Free Press said sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed Thomas is not the target of the investigation, which allegedly concerns a multi-million dollar sports betting ring.
Those sources said no one has chargedThomas bet on sporting events, although he is alleged to have been involved in high-stakes dice games. Detroit television station WJBK aired a similar report.
The FBI has declined comment on the reports.
'The Detroit office of the FBI has no comment at this time,' spokesman Thomas Martin said.
The paper and television station both said Thomas' name appears on checks totaling $100,000 which have been subpoenaed by a grand jury innvestigation centering Henry Alan Hilf of West Bloomfield, Mich.
Those checks allegedly were cashed by Thomas at a Center Line supermarket owned by Imad Denha. The newspaper and WJBK said Denha is suspected of laundering gambling money.
Thomas said he had never held any crap games at his house, but did cash some checks at the store owned by Denha. Thomas called Denha his closest friend and godfather of his son, Joshua.
He said he had learned from his mother to cash checks at supermarkets for convenience and as a way of avoiding crowds that gather around famous figures in public.
The reports also alleged that Mark Aguirre, a Pistons teammate, had approached a former FBI agent with his concern that Thomas was involved in high-stakes dice games.
'There's never been a craps game at Isiah Thomas' house,' Thomas said. 'Very few people have ever been inside my house. I could name to you on one hand the number of people who've been to my house.'
Thomas said he remembered taking part in three dice games over last nine years, but they were far from high stakes games.
'Ten, 20, 30 dollars,' he said, equating them to weekend poker parties. 'Somebody might all of a sudden get bold and say, 'Hey, I'll bet you a hundred.''
Thomas said he called the FBI Friday night when he first heard of the report and agents came to his house Saturday.
'The FBI said they'd never talked with Mark Aguirre. The three agents that I've met with today have never seen or spoken with Mark Aguirre.'
Thomas said he would do anything to clairfy the issue.
'I will take a lie-detector test, I'd pee in a bottle, they could take some blood,' Thomas said.
'My father-in-law is head of the Secret Service in Chicago. There ain't no way in hell I'll be doing something wrong.'
John Salley, one of the more public figures on the Pistons, backed his teammate.
'Isiah did not gamble.' Salley told Detroit radio station WWJ. 'Isiah is not a gambler. Print that.'
