There is little love lost between Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
The pair didn’t get a long as players, and the hate has carried over into their retirement.
To be fair, the resentment seems mostly one-sided. Thomas really hates Jordan, and Jordan doesn’t seem to give a lot of thought to Thomas.
Nevertheless, their beef was on full display this week.
“When I came home ’88, ’89, ’90, I was celebrated in my community,” said Thomas on the “Point Forward” podcast with Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner.
“I came home as a champion. Chicago hadn’t won yet. As a matter of fact, we was beating them. Consistently. Like, really consistently. As a matter of fact, they was still finishing fourth and fifth in the division. So this whole narrative about, ‘Jordan went through [Larry] Bird, he went through Magic [Johnson], he went through Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar].’ Nooooo. Timeout. That’s my story!”
“That ain’t Jordan’s story,” Thomas continued. “Jordan didn’t go through Magic, Kareem, Bird, if I remember correctly. Jordan beat, he beat us [the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons] in ’91 at the end, and then he beat [Charles] Barkley, Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing.
“These were the people he beat. He didn’t beat Magic, Bird, and Kareem. But y’all been sold this story, ‘Oh, he was in the ’80s getting down.’ No, no, no, no, no.”
Again, this isn’t the first time Thomas has had harsh words for Jordan – and it likely won’t be the last.
But to be fair, it’s not like Thomas is the only guy who has issues with Jordan. His own teammates hate him. And other Bulls players have come out and publicly taken Scottie Pippen’s side in his squabble with Jordan.
Paul Pierce is at it again. https://t.co/UqUOOIOUIn
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 16, 2022
Jordan is a tough guy to get along with, much like Thomas himself.
For better or worse, it’s clear these two will never mend fences.
Will they one day get to a place where they can at least be cordial? Time will tell.
Related: Jordyn Woods’ Special Message For Karl-Anthony Towns (Photos)
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
