Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have been involved in one of the most intense beefs in the history of the NBA. The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons legends have no love for each other. These two were fierce competitors and always showed that on the court. That desire to win and beat everybody else was probably the reason why their beef started.
In recent days, this feud was brought to life again after Thomas called out Michael Jordan on social media. He mentioned a story where MJ explained how he thought his rivalry with Thomas started during the 1985 All-Star Game.
Of course, the Detroit Pistons legend wasn’t having it and sent a big message to MJ, telling him to stop lying about this story and providing his version of what happened during that infamous game.
Stop lying this story is not factual or accurate, tell the truth man. Dr. J, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Sidney Moncrief and I did not freeze you out. If memory serves me correct I was injured most of the second half and Bird had a broken nose. Magic and Sampson dominated the game.
Everybody has had something to say about this, and Skip Bayless wouldn’t be the exception. The veteran analyst, who is one of the most famous Michael Jordan defenders, recently reacted to this, claiming that it’s highly unlikely to see Jordan talking with Thomas to make amends.
During a recent edition of Undisputed, Bayless had this to say:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2uZi8R9XDg
“I’m not saying and never said he’s a nice guy, because I would not call Michael a nice guy,” Bayless said. “LeBron is a nice guy, and I think he really works hard to be a nice guy because, at heart, he’s a nice guy. And he wants to be loved in ways Michael never cared and doesn’t care about being loved.”
“So if you ask Michael about the ’85 All-Star Game, he’s just gonna blurt it out again. Isiah froze me out and because of that Michael got even by freezing Isiah out of the ’92 Olympics. But there’s no way in heaven or hell that Michael is going to sit down with Isiah because he doesn’t sit down with anybody. Because in the end he was a cold-blooded basketball killer, and he’s still got that in him.”
Skip took a surprise shot at Jordan as an owner, criticizing his work for the Charlotte Hornets, saying that he’s making his players pay for his frustrations.
“You know and I know that’s why he was the greatest to ever play,” he went on. “He was who he was because of this. Now he’s gotta pay the price for it, which is loneliness later in your life and regret of ‘I can’t do what I do anymore.’ And he’s trying to get his frustrations through the team that he owns and operates, and he’s a disaster at it.”
It’s easy to see where these comments come from, as MJ was never about being buddies with those people he beat on the court. Thomas did everything he could to earn Jordan’s hate, and nothing has changed, as he’s constantly trying to bring His Airness down, calling other players the GOAT and taking shots at the 6x NBA champion every now and then.
