When you flip through the NBA’s most iconic rivalries or feuds/beefs, whatever you like to call it, Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas‘ names would be right on the top. These two are tied together in the history books for eternity. More than 30 years have gone by, and still, the two veterans are not ready to put all of this behind them. Let’s take a deep dive into their story:
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The origin story
It all started at the 1985 All-Star game, at least that’s the common belief and that is as far as their feud can be traced back to. MJ was making his All-Star debut that year as a rookie and was surrounded by some of the biggest names in the sport. However, Jordan was just as popular, if not more despite being a newbie in the league. Since he was a big deal on his own, the other stars of the game, headed by Isiah Thomas, allegedly wanted to let him know that it’s not his time yet.
For that reason, they denied him possession of the ball during the game, which would go on to be known as the “Freeze-Out.” It is alleged that Zeke was the one calling the shots in the East, and everyone else fell in line to abide by his plan. Now, even though Jordan was a rookie, he took it as an insult and since then Thomas became an antagonist to him. That one decision by the All-Star team kickstarted the era of arguably the longest feud in the history of the league.
The pre-Jordan era
Years went by, but the two gentlemen stayed true to their rivalry against one another. In 1989 and 1990, Thomas won back-to-back championships with the Pistons, cementing his name as a legend of the game. Jordan, on the other hand was inching towards superstardom, becoming a household name. In terms of his game, MJ didn’t have much luck while going against his nemesis and there was a reason for it.
The Pistons had proper plans to stop Jordan from getting past them, they called it the Jordan Rules. Thomas talked about it at length during his appearance on All The Smoke podcast. The rules were based on the fact that Jordan was a “reluctant passer”, and he had weak handles. So, the Bad Boys devised a plan that would force Jordan to go to his left where he’d have one of two choices, either give up the ball or make a bad shot. On a more individual level, they didn’t really succeed, but they did manage to stop the Bulls.
Between the 1987-88 and 1989-90 seasons, Thomas had a 12-6 record against MJ. While this was stopping the Bulls legend from getting to his first championship, MJ was doing everything he could to help his team get over the Pistons curse. In the 18 playoff games during that time, MJ averaged 30.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists to Zeke’s 19.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
The Jordan-Bulls era begins
MJ’s first three-peat run kickstarted in 1991. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls went against the Pistons, which made for a perfect opportunity for Jordan to get back at his rival. The Bulls won the series in four straight games, sweeping the opposition in their own backyard.
Even though they suffered a crushing defeat, the Pistons weren’t willing to let the Bulls enjoy their moment. So on the brink of officially getting swept, the Pistons started to walk off the court with 7.9 seconds left on the clock. As per the records, only Joe Dumars and John Salley shook hands with the Bulls while the rest of the team followed Thomas to the locker room.
The Dream Team debacle
Other than representing the nation on the global stage, there were two agendas assigned to the Dream Team. They wanted to build on the USA’s global dominance in their sport and they wanted to attract an international audience to the league. This task couldn’t have been assigned to a better ensemble. The biggest names in the league at the time were included, MJ, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley were some of the names picked for the job. Amidst all the star power, one name was missing, that of Isiah Thomas.
For a moment people wondered why the Pistons legend was left out. But soon information came out that he was left out of the squad on Jordan’s wish. On The Last Dance documentary series, the Bulls legend denied the allegations saying, “You want to attribute it to me, go ahead and be my guest. But it wasn’t me.” However, it is commonly believed that he was the reason behind Zeke’s exclusion from the team.
The Dream Team Tapes, a podcast that featured old interview tapes of the Team USA players, revealed what MJ had to say about Thomas at the time. MJ had said, “Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.’ He assured me. He said, ‘You know what? Chuck doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'” Jordan admitted at the time that bringing Thomas in would have messed up the team’s dynamic.
The aftermath
Two years after the Dream Team snub, Thomas bid farewell to the game. Meanwhile, his feud with Jordan was still going strong. Over the course of 30 years, Thomas has taken countless shots at the 6-time NBA champion. From belittling Jordan’s legacy by bringing in his success against him in the 80s to diminishing his value to a mere scorer, Thomas has said a lot.
When asked if he thinks LeBron James is better than MJ, he had once said, “LeBron James is head and shoulders above any of these guys. If I’m trying to build a team, I’m going with the brain. If I got to get 40 points or 50 points, then yeah, I’m taking a Michael Jordan or Kobe.”
On another occasion, he tried to educate people on Jordan’s career. He said, “Your Jordan was great player in the 80s, but they were finishing third and fourth in the division…he was great in the 90s. He dominated in the 90s, but in the 80s, he was out in the first round.”
Nail in the coffin!
The 2020 Michael Jordan-Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance stirred up their controversial past even more. While most of the documentary was filled with the MJ and Bulls’ journey, there was a fair amount of Isiah Thomas slander as well. MJ talked about the Pistons walk off during the 1991 Playoffs. He said, “You can show me anything you want, there’s no way you can convince me he wasn’t an a****le. Two years in a row, we shook their hands when they beat us. There was a certain respect to the game, that we paid to them. That’s sportsmanship.”
Even if MJ was asking for the right spirit from his competitor, the A-word that he dropped on Thomas really hurt him. While MJ had all the rage boiling inside him, Thomas claimed that he had no idea about it. He said, “This beef that we supposedly had, well, I didn’t know anything about it until ‘The Last Dance.” The Pistons legend claimed that he had nothing but love for MJ. In fact, he even unveiled that the two had close family relations at one point.
He said, “I was upset of watching a documentary of a guy being an a****le to everybody, but then called me an a****le. And I ain’t been nothing but nice to this dude.” Thomas still talks about that comment on various platforms as he is still seeking an apology from Jordan. And since MJ ‘humiliated’ him in front of the world, he demands that his apology should also be in front of the world so they can really leave their past behind.
