If you were watching the NBA in the late 80s and early 90s, you might have witnessed the dominance of the Isiah Thomas-led Detroit Pistons in the league. As part of the Pistons’ infamous ‘Bad Boys’, Thomas helped Detroit win back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. As a native of Chicago, Thomas had fans in his home city as well despite the Chicago Bulls being the Pistons’ greatest rivals back then.
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In the first Home Alone movie, we can see the child protagonist, played by Kevin McCallister, having a poster of Isiah Thomas in his house despite being a resident of Chicago. In a now-deleted tweet, a fan pointed out that the 1990 movie had done injustice to the city of Chicago by portraying the protagonist as a fan of Michael Jordan’s arch-rival, Isiah Thomas.
Home Alone is SO unrealistic: Buzz’s bedroom circa 1990/91 has an Isaiah Thomas poster *and* a Chicago Bulls sticker? Please. No self-respecting fan of either team would have done that. (The movie was set outside of Chicago, so that should have been an MJ poster). pic.twitter.com/8hIC3SqDnn
— Christopher J. Scalia (@cjscalia) December 15, 2018
However, the 2x NBA champion took notice of this tweet and hit back with a succinct response. Replying to the fan on Twitter (now X), Thomas reminded everyone how he was born and raised in the West side of Chicago and even had a street in the city named after his mother, Mary Thomas.
“I’m not sure how old you are? 89-90 I was back to back champion with the Detroit Pistons, Born and raised on the west side of Chicago, where a street is named after my mother MARY THOMAS Lawndale, Garfield, Austin is where I lived in Chicago,” IT tweeted.
I’m not sure how old you are? 89-90 I was back to back champion with the Detroit Pistons, Born and raised on the west side of Chicago, where a street is named after my mother MARY THOMAS Lawndale, Garfield, Austin is where I lived in Chicago. https://t.co/3cLvFC0vrf
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) December 9, 2023
Interestingly, Thomas also gave out the address of the residence where he grew up in Chicago. Despite being an arch-rival of the city’s NBA team, the Pistons’ Bad Boy never refrains to shy away from his roots. In an Instagram post last month, Thomas celebrated Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, who was elected to the post this year.
Though many might doubt Thomas’ loyalty to Chicago because of his association with the Pistons, the superstar has always proved that his loyalty lies with his own city. Thomas also mentioned in his tweet that he won two back-to-back Championships in 1989 and 1990, which also might have had something to do with the poster.
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan do not have a cordial relationship
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan’s feud goes as far back as 1985. A popular theory alleges that Thomas conspired to ‘freeze out’ Jordan during the 1985 All-Star Game. Interestingly, despite starting in that game, Jordan ended with only 7-points. Though Thomas has long denied this allegation, the feud between the two league legends only got worse over time.
Many former players, including Brad Sellers and Charles Oakley, claim that the beef was further fueled by jealousy from Thomas. Despite being in the Pistons, the 2x NBA champion had worked his way to represent his city in the league and become a mascot for Chicago as a player. However, as Sellers and Oakley claim, Thomas was exasperated with Michael Jordan coming to Chicago and eviscerating his name in the city.
To this day, Thomas refuses to mend ties with Jordan and this feud is still one of the most controversial and widely discussed topics in the NBA community.
