The tumultuous relationship between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas is something that has been going on for decades. But it wasn’t until the release of MJ’s documentary, ‘The Last Dance’, that things started to heat up. Not only did Michael Jordan’s former teammates turn their backs on him but it reignited the beef between Isiah Thomas and the Bulls legend. And now, Shannon Sharpe has given his two cents on the bad blood between the two.
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Recently, Isiah Thomas made an appearance on Draymond Green’s podcast. While on the podcast, Thomas demanded another apology from Michael Jordan for calling him an “a**hole” in his documentary. This led to a long discussion between Shannon Sharpe and Gilbert Arenas on ‘Nightcap‘.
The two went on to talk in detail as to how the beef started and what were the actual reasons behind their turbulent relationship. Sharpe brought up the point that not shaking an opponent’s hand after losing in the Conference or the NBA Finals was something that started with the Boston Celtics. And so, it wasn’t the Pistons who started this trend.
“I don’t know what the protocol was. I just know what I saw. So, Isiah and them didn’t start, ‘When you lose, you just walk off the court and don’t congratulate the winning team.’ Isiah and them didn’t start that.”
That is when Gilbert Arenas chimed in and said it was Michael Jordan’s personal relationship with Isiah Thomas that led to MJ taking things personally. Arenas said, “This was never about team sh*t, to be honest. This was about personal relationships. Right? This was a personal thing.”
He went on to add, “Jordan’s friendship with Isiah, when Isiah won was a handshake. When Isiah lost, Jordan as a friend to Isiah was like, ‘I want the same respect.’ And the fact that Isiah walked off, Jordan took it personal.”
So, when the two finally came on the topic of Isiah Thomas urging Michael Jordan to issue a public apology, Sharpe flat-out stated, “Isiah, don’t you wait for that apology.” Both Shannon Sharpe and Gilbert Arenas agreed that MJ might never come out in public and issue one.
Shannon Sharpe urges Zeke not to wait on Michael Jordan
Shannon Sharpe is not wrong when he is urging Isiah Thomas to not wait for an apology from the Chicago Bulls legend. One of the reasons is that this wasn’t the first time Isiah Thomas demanded a public apology from Michael Jordan.
When The Last Dance came out, Thomas was one of the former NBA legends to pick a bone with Michael Jordan. He was also one of the many former players who did not appreciate how he was portrayed in the documentary. And since then, even Jordan’s former teammates have come out to throw shade at him and make some eye-opening accusations.
But, as for Zeke, Michael Jordan is known to not make public appearances anymore. So, for Isiah Thomas to hold on to the hope of Michael Jordan coming out to apologize is something both Sharpe and Arenas don’t see happening anytime soon.
