Pistons legend Isiah Thomas is well-known for his rivalry with Michael Jordan, which has extended well into his post-retirement years. But according to the 2x champion himself, via a message on X, he doesn’t put too much weight into the “beef” and refuses to let it consume his life.
“I don’t live my life focused on beef, but the media and people like you continue to bring it up so I respond,” wrote Thomas. “In fact, you invited me on your show last week to talk about it and I declined, I’m good!”
The post was a direct response to ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, who dedicated an entire segment on his show to speak to the situation between Isiah and Michael Jordan. Smith told Isiah that his public demand for an apology was completely pointless and urged the Pistons legend to “get over” whatever issues he has with Michael.
Judging from the post, Thomas will not be using Stephen A.’s advice. The former NBA point guard, who has been retired since 1994, has taken a hard stance on this issue and his latest jab at No. 23 came this week when called him out for “standing behind a tree throwing stones.” He also demanded a public apology from the superstar for calling him an “a**hole” on national television.
It’s just one of many comments against Jordan that Isiah has made over the years and he’s always been seen as one of his biggest challengers. But now, it seems Thomas is downplaying the rivalry completely and is working hard to convince everyone that he really doesn’t care about Michael Jordan either way.
With no response from Jordan himself on this situation, it’s likely that Isiah will get the last word on this and he’s already made it clear how he feels about his former NBA colleague.
Michael Jordan Said He “Hated” Isiah Thomas
As much as Michael Jordan stays away from public drama, he attracted a lot of it with the release of ‘The Last Dance.” While the documentary was meant to capture the final moments of the Bulls dynasty, it ended up being a celebration of Michael Jordan that threw his teammates under the bus and exposed some of his greatest challengers.
It’s no secret that Scottie Pippen took issue with how he was portrayed — but Isiah Thomas was also notoriously angry when he watched the series. It was the first time he realized just how much Michael despised him.
In a now notorious line, Jordan said in the documentary: “There’s no way you can convince me he wasn’t an a**hole.” In the year that followed that series, Jordan’s disdain for Isiah and the Bad Boys was confirmed and John Salley later admitted that even Jordan’s agent loved to hate on the former Pistons star.
Nobody knows why Michael hated Thomas and the Pistons so much, but it’s not hard to see why he might have some problems with them. Back in the 80s and early 90s, Detroit found success with highly physical play that often crossed the line into illegal contact. They also came up with the notorious ‘Jordan Rules’ which involved borderline assault to get Michael off his game.
While Isiah and the Pistons were winning at first, Jordan would end up with the final laugh after six championships and a place on the Mt. Rushmore of GOATs. Even so, their hatred for each other lingers even today and their rivalry is likely one that will never die.
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