Isaiah Thomas was named after Isiah Thomas. But it was not because his parents were huge fans of the Detroit Pistons.

Just the opposite, in fact.

Isaiah Thomas, a point guard from the University of Washington, earned his first name because his father lost a bet.

"My dad is from Inglewood, California, so he was a big Lakers fan growing up," Thomas said last week at the NBA predraft camp in Chicago. "He had a little bet with his friend that if Detroit beat the Lakers then he'd name his son Isiah Thomas. It happened."

His first name is spelled different than the legendary Pistons guard's first name for a reason, Thomas said.

"My mom liked the name," he said, "but she wanted it spelled the biblical way."

Isaiah Thomas said he knows Isiah Thomas very well.

"He's like a mentor to me," he said. "I've got a close relationship with him. I talk to him a couple times a week. He's a big mentor and I appreciate him."

Thomas said current Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey is a friend of his as well. Thomas and Stuckey, who played college basketball at Eastern Washington University, sometimes work out together during the summer.

Thomas, 22, is a 5-10, 190-pound point guard who averaged 16.8 points and 6.1 assists as a junior at Washington last season.

Thomas is rated in most mock drafts as being a potential second-round pick. The current DraftExpress.com mock draft has the Pistons picking Thomas with the last of their three picks, 52nd overall.