One of the biggest rivalries in NBA history is that between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. A rivalry that reached its peak in the late 80s and early 90s. During the hay days of two league legends, Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas.
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The saga between both men has been well documented. His Airness has expressed time and time again, that he does not like Isiah, in fact, he hates him. But, where did this hatred arise from? Well, according to several sources, it all had to do with the game where Thomas and the Pistons refused to shake hands with the Bulls.
Since then, Michael’s preferred term for the Pistons and Zeke is, “a**holes”. But, to this day Isiah insists that he did nothing wrong. And, his most recent tweet shows that he will not stop defending his actions.
Isiah Thomas lays down Twitter argument for his actions during the Michael Jordan handshake incident
In sports, it is considered an act of sportsmanship to shake your opponent’s hand after a match. Win or lose, it is the appropriate action to take. However, there are times when this golden rule of sports is ignored.
A perfect example of this happened back in 1991. After Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Detroit Pistons, the Bad Boys’ leader Isiah Thomas left the court along with his team without shaking hands. A decision that ruined his reputation with MJ and many basketball fans.
Now, 32 years later, Thomas is still trying to defend his actions. His most recent argument, saw him take to Twitter where he shared a quote from Larry Bird. One where The Hick from French Lick states how he never shook hands with Magic Johnson when the Celtics and Lakers met.
Clearly, Isiah hasn’t gotten over how he was portrayed in The Last Dance. After all, he only found that Jordan’s hatred for him runs deep after the documentary was released.
Isiah Thomas was shocked when he first watched The Last Dance
The Last Dance documentary was a huge success. It primarily focused on Michael Jordan and the success of the 90s Chicago Bulls. However, it also features some of MJ’s family, friends, acquaintances, and opponents. Like Isiah Thomas, who was not painted in the best light in the series. Something he only found out after watching the documentary for the first time.
From the looks of it, this beef between two of the greatest players of all time is unlikely to end anytime soon. Hopefully, there will come in time when it is all just water under the bridge.
