The leader of the Bad Boy Pistons, Isiah Thomas, went online to talk about his former NBA rival, Michael Jordan. The beef between the two was well recorded in ‘The Last Dance’, but it was a welcome change of pace to see Thomas shower praise on his former opponent.
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A throwback tweet recalled Jordan’s performance against Zeke’s Detroit Pistons 40 years ago today. Rookie MJ would put up 25 points to help his Bulls to a 4-point win over Motor City. What was more impressive than the points tally were the array of athletic finishes and dunks that electrified the crowd and even the play-by-play announcers.
Seeing that decades-old tape inspired some nostalgia in Thomas, who was reminded of his initial impression of the high-flying Chicago guard.
“Some plays and dunks stand out more than others. Jordan’s dunks on this night were all memorable and spectacularly good; to see them and experience them live was beyond,” the two-time NBA champion wrote on X.
Some plays and dunks stand out more than others. Jordan's dunks on this night were all memorable and spectacularly good; to see them and experience them live was beyond. https://t.co/1ydrPLWWg9
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) November 7, 2024
Despite the bad blood between the Hall of Famers, Zeke decided to give MJ his flowers where it’s due. It was an interesting turn of events to see so much respect between the bitter rivals. In 1990, before His Airness cracked the code on the Bad Boy Pistons, Thomas was still highly appreciative of Jordan’s unreal talent.
He was on ‘The Arsenio Hall Show’ when the leader of the Pistons complimented MJ for “his quickness, his strength, his jumping ability, his touch and also his knowledge and understanding for the game.”
It was a simpler time then, and unfortunately, over the following few years, the mutual respect between the two would run dry.
Michael Jordan held a grudge against Isiah Thomas
In 1991, the Pistons and Bulls met in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive time. Detroit had won the previous two matchups through sheer physicality. They were gunning for a third-straight title, but Michael Jordan wouldn’t let it happen.
Chicago’s clean sweep against the Bad Boys in that year’s Finals left a sour taste in their mouths as the Pistons left the floor without shaking their opponents’ hands.
The following season, Team USA would assemble ‘The Dream Team’ and 12-time All-Star Isiah Thomas would be the most notable omission from the team list. Many, including Thomas, speculated that Jordan had played a part in the Pistons guard’s snub.
Even though many reports suggested that Jordan pressured the executive in charge of selecting the Olympic team to not take Zeke, MJ would deny all the allegations of his involvement.
In 2020, we saw the final chapter of their embittered rivalry as Jordan called Thomas “an a**hole” on ‘The Last Dance’. Zeke then decided to cut off all communications with the six-time NBA champion.
“This dude got on international television and called me an a**hole. Somebody who’s been really good to him. Until he apologizes on international television, ain’t no conversation,” the Detroit Pistons legend commented on Draymond Green’s talk show in March, 2024.
Though Jordan hasn’t made his public apology yet, it speaks to Zeke’s character that he can still respect MJ’s game while having a personal grievance with the man.
