Isiah Thomas' estranged son says Zeke never returned his calls: "I think I deserve two words from him - 'Hi' and 'goodbye'"

Former Detroit Pistons captain Isiah Thomas has been happily married to Lynn Kendall since 1985. The couple has two children, Joshua and Lauren. But while Zeke's marriage has been solid since '85, it wasn't without a major challenge.

Two months after their marriage, a boy named Marc Edward Thomas Dones was born to a Michigan woman named Jenni Dones. He sued Thomas for paternity and won the case. Nearly two decades later, the love child claimed he never talked to his father.

"I don't care about what's going on with him now – that's his concern," Dones told The New York Post in 2006. "Our lives are separate. He lives his, and I live mine. He hasn't been a good dad to me. He's never returned my calls – that's just him."

Looking for the perfect birthday gift

According to Dones, he has never met Thomas, nor has Zeke responded to his attempts to contact him. Marc said he messaged the former Detroit Pistons captain at least thrice in January 2006. But maybe it was the wrong timing.

During that time, Thomas - then the New York Knicks president, was busy dealing with a sexual harassment charge filed by a former Knicks executive. But that matter wasn't Dones' concern. He just wanted to hear from his dad before his 20th birthday finally.

"I rang because, you know, I'm turning 20," Dones added. "I think I deserve two words from him – 'hi' and 'goodbye,' something like that."

Thomas had a two-month fling with Marc's mom

Zeke and his future wife met while they were both at the University of Indiana. Thomas was drafted by the Pistons in 1981, and somewhere along the way, he met Marc's mom and had a short fling with her. To Isiah's credit, however, Dones said he's unsure if his mom knew that the Pistons point guard was already engaged when they had a relationship.

"I think they went out for a couple of months while he was engaged," he said. "I don't know if my mother knew about Lynn Kendall."

But Zeke obviously knew what he was doing. Jenni never married and put her efforts into raising her son. Marc grew up to become a writer and have a successful career as a policy strategist and equity expert. He is currently the Policy Director of UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.

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