Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have remained two of the most bitter rivals since playing in the NBA. In the late 80s and early 90s, the Detroit Pistons used to be the most formidable team facing Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The ‘Bad Boys’ of the Pistons used to give Jordan and his fellow teammates a hard time in the Eastern Conference, having even snatched some of Chicago’s earliest opportunities to win a title in the 80s.
Advertisement
In the Last Dance documentary, Thomas admitted that he was taken aback by Jordan calling him an ‘a**hole’ in one of his recorded interviews. Since then, the Pistons legend has repeatedly reiterated his demand for a public apology from Jordan, the latest being in his appearance on The Draymond Green Show.
In a conversation with the Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, Isiah Thomas said, “This dude got on national television, international television, to call me an a**hole. Somebody who has been really good to him. And until he apologizes on international television-[there will be] no conversation.”
From Thomas’ words, it seemed like Jordan also tried apologizing to the 2x NBA champion privately. However, on that note, Thomas added, “You can’t apologize and have a private dinner when you embarrassed me publicly. If you didn’t mean it, say it publicly. If you meant it, let it stand, I am good with that.”
This statement from Isiah Thomas has generated many reactions from fans, amused mainly by Thomas’ anticipation of getting an apology from Jordan. One fan on X (formerly Twitter) writes, “LMAO, good luck getting MJ to apologize. Pretty sure he doesn’t give af.” The fan clearly knows Jordan’s personality of being unapologetic and outright in nature.
Another fan, noting Thomas’ narcissistic behavior towards Jordan and Larry Bird wrote, “No one cares, we remember Thomas and keep receipts! Larry Bird and the Celtics have a ton of receipts. This guy is full of narcissism.”
This fan tried mocking Isiah Thomas’ hope for an apology and said, “Delusional Isiah Thomas back again.”
This user seemed highly amused by Thomas’ hope for an apology. In his reply, followed by laughing emojis, the user wrote, “And that’s going to happen.”
A user tried to bring a reality check to this situation, stating that neither Jordan nor Thomas would budge. The user wrote in his tweet, “At this point, I wonder why people keep asking him about this, neither one is going to give. It’s like every 6 months, this s**t is rehashed like anybody cares.”
How did Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan start feuding with each other?
The origin of the beef between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan can be traced back to Jordan’s draft into the NBA. As a rookie, His Airness exceeded his potential, even earning an All-Star spot in his first season in the league. Many trace the start of the feud to 1985 when Thomas had allegedly led a ‘freeze-out’ of Jordan during the All-Star game. Thomas has stated that he was unaware of the feud between him and the Chicago Bulls legend until he watched the 2020 docuseries The Last Dance.
Perhaps ‘The Last Dance’ was a final nail to the coffin of this beef. According to Sports Illustrated, Thomas said, “This beef that we supposedly had, well, I didn’t know anything about it until ‘The Last Dance.'” Jordan had called the Pistons guard an a**hole in the docu-series, especially for his antics during the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
After the Bulls swept the Pistons in the playoff series, Jordan was upset about Thomas and the Pistons walking off the floor without shaking the hands of their opponents. However, repeatedly, Thomas has emphasized Jordan coming live on public television and apologizing to him for his remarks. Perhaps the only way the two could fix their bond would be through a one-on-one televised conversation, the same way Shaq and Kobe held following their playing careers.
