When 14-year-old Robbie McNulty saw someone walking toward him on a playground in Cambridge, Massachusetts, last week, he didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. The man looked a lot like the usual hoopsters he might encounter while getting up shots at St. Peter's Park.
A closer inspection revealed it was actually Boston Celtics 5-foot-9 All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who asked McNulty if he could shoot with him for a bit.
Thomas' random act of kindness went viral this weekend after a story about the encounter appeared in The Boston Globe. McNulty appeared on "Good Morning America" on Monday, and Thomas surprised him yet again, asking him to be his guest at a Celtics game this season.
McNulty, wearing a No. 34 Paul Pierce Celtics jersey T-shirt from his home, drew laughter on GMA when he joked about not initially realizing it was Thomas because of his height.
"It was really just insane. ... I saw somebody walking toward me but he wasn't that tall, so I didn't expect [it to be a NBA player]," McNulty said. "I took another look and then, 'Oh, I know that guy.'"
Added McNulty: "He was at about half court and then I took another shot. Then I turned around and he’s just like staring at me, walking towards me. I immediately know who he is because I’m a huge Celtics fan. I’m just speechless."
McNulty said he stood there "just dribbling for like five seconds with my mouth open" before Thomas asked him if he wanted to play.
Thomas' wife, Kayla, captured video of the two getting up shots on the cone-covered asphalt playground. The Thomases were in the area attending a back-to-school gathering for their son, Jaiden.
"[McNulty] was the only kid there," Thomas told the Globe. “So I’m like, ‘I’m just going to go get some shots up with him.’ When I walked over, he rebounded his own shot and turned around and I’m like, ‘Can I get a couple shots?’ And he stopped. He didn’t even say a word, like his eyes were so big. He just stopped and froze and I’m like, ‘Pass me the ball.'"
McNulty, who just entered his freshman year of high school, posted the picture on Instagram with a caption that noted, "Isaiah Thomas played basketball with me." Thomas even replied to the post from his Instagram account writing, "Nice rebounding for u."
What's a bit surreal is that nearly a year before their chance encounter, McNulty posted a photo of Thomas muscling his way through traffic during a Celtics game with the caption, "The GOAT."
During a taped appearance from the Celtics' practice facility on GMA, Thomas told McNulty, "Thanks for letting me shoot hoops for you the other day" and invited McNulty to be his guest at a game this season.
A stunned McNulty asked, "Are you serious?" Which is what all of his friends have been asking him since last week.