The Isiah Thomas-Michael Jordan rivalry is one of the most famous in the NBA. The two legends went at it on more than one occasion, giving fans incredible memories that will last forever. Their beef allegedly started when Thomas ignored Jordan during their first meeting, only to talk bad about the Chicago Bulls later.
They would meet in the playoffs later, with the Pistons constantly getting the best out of the Bulls until MJ said ‘enough.’ Thomas made it clear that he beat Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson during their prime, something he’s proudly claimed several times.
The highest point and the end of this rivalry came in 1991 when the Bulls defeated the Pistons in seven games during the Eastern Conference finals. They swept the ‘Bad Boys,’ showing they were ready to take over. However, the reaction from the losers caught more attention than the final outcome, as the Pistons walked off the court, not shaking hands with their rivals.
This moment made a lot of noise in the league and even today, it’s considered one of the most infamous reactions in NBA history. They left the court with seconds on the clock, while the Bulls confirmed they were the top dog. During a recent edition of The Ringer’s ‘Icon Club,‘ Thomas talked about this, blaming the Bulls for magnifying that situation, making it the big deal it is today.
“Now, why is this such a big deal? I think because the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan made it a big deal. To this day, we have never, ever said to the Lakers or the Celtics, ‘Hey, y’all didn’t shake our hands.’ When we won, they walked off the court.”
“When we beat the Lakers, they walked off the court. We have never came out and was like, ‘Look at Larry, look at the Celtics, they didn’t shake our hands.’”
Thomas has used this argument for a long time, explaining that was his way of passing the torch to Jordan. Well, His Airness never bought any of that, claiming that his attitude was bad back then and no matter how anybody paint it, he’s not changing his mind about Isiah and the Pistons. During an episode of The Last Dance, he had this to say:
“Well, I know it’s all bulls**t. Whatever he says now, you know it wasn’t his true actions then. He’s had time enough to think about it, or the reactions of the public has kind of changed his perspective of it. You can show me whatever you want. There’s no way you can convince me he wasn’t an a**hole.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPSbsMLMOKE
This beef isn’t done and we confirmed that last month when Michael ignored Isiah during the NBA Top 75 ceremony in Cleveland. Meanwhile, Isiah keeps taking shots at his former rival, but Jordan has had enough of it.
