Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan have been at odds with each other for years now, and the former fired yet another shot at the latter on Thursday. During an appearance on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back, Thomas claimed the Chicago Bulls would have still won six NBA titles if Kevin Durant were on those teams instead of Jordan.
Unsurprisingly, Thomas’ comments didn’t go down too well. He comes across as a bit bitter by firing these shots from time to time, and NBA fans on X ripped him.
“Isiah is delusioned by hatred,” retired NBA columnist Peter Vecsey called out Thomas.
“Swap Zeke out for Westbrook or CP3, and the Pistons probably three-peat,” one fan claimed the Detroit Pistons would have won more if they had Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul instead of Thomas.
“Even KD wouldn’t agree with this dumb a** take. Zeke’s hatred for MJ is insane,” one believes Durant would disagree with Thomas.
“There is no grudge deeper than the Isiah Thomas grudge on Michael Jordan,” one fan thinks Thomas’ grudge is unmatched.
“Sore loser and still holds a grudge because MJ and Scottie didn’t let him play on the Dream Team,” one ripped Thomas for still being bitter about his exclusion from the 1992 Dream Team.
Much of Thomas’ hatred stems from what happened in 1992 and The Last Dance docuseries. He has spoken about his relationship with Jordan falling apart due to that series. Thomas claims he was told to appear in it by the producer and his great rival, because his story couldn’t be told without the Detroit Pistons icon. Jordan’s comments about him in the series then rubbed him the wrong way, however.
As for 1992, Jordan claimed for years that he had nothing to do with Thomas being left off the Dream Team. It turns out, though, that he had something to do with it. Audio of Jordan telling Rod Thorn, chairman of the Olympic team selection committee, that he wouldn’t play if Thomas was on the team was shared on The Dream Team Tapes podcast in 2020.
“Rod Thorn called me,” Jordan said. “I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.’ He assured me. He said, ‘You know what? Chuck [Daly] doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.’”
By the looks of it, it might be safe to say Thomas will never let all of this go. A public apology of sorts from Jordan might fix things to an extent, but we all know that’s not going to happen.
Jordan still hates that Bad Boys Pistons team that Thomas spearheaded. They infamously introduced the “Jordan Rules” to slow him down. That bruising, physical style of defense helped the Pistons beat the Bulls in the playoffs in 1988, 1989, and 1990.
Jordan would get the last laugh, though, as the Bulls swept the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas was among the Pistons players who walked off without shaking hands with the Bulls players after that series, and Jordan never forgave them for it. Interestingly enough, though, Thomas still managed to be complimentary of him in the following years.
Thomas spoke about what impressed him the most about Jordan during the 1993 NBA Finals. If we go back a bit further to 1989, he showered praise on his rival on The Arsenio Hall Show.
“He’s unbelievable in terms of his quickness, his strength, his jumping ability, his touch, and also his knowledge and understanding for the game,” Thomas said. “He by far is the best I’ve ever seen, and [Magic Johnson] is my boy. But Air… He real sweet. I mean, the dude, you see what he be doing?”
You’d wish things had never gotten to where they are today, but they have. While Thomas has shared his reasons, Jordan’s good friend Charles Oakley thinks his real issue is something else entirely. Oakley thinks Thomas is bitter about Jordan taking over his city.
For those unaware, Thomas was born and raised in Chicago. Once Jordan started dominating with the Bulls, he became the darling of the city. Oakley thinks that’s something Thomas has not been able to digest.
