Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have been at war with one another for over 3 decades now. Their feud stems from the Chicago Bulls’ intense rivalry with Thomas’s ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons where they would meet each other in the Playoffs every single year from 1988 to 1991. Jordan and the Bulls would have the last laugh as they swept them in the 1991 ECF.
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However, prior to the Bulls eclipsing the Pistons, they would lose to the Pistons 3 years in a row. Throughout the duration of their rivalry, it was very clear that the two teams did not like each other one bit. Isiah Thomas was a catalyst in this along with guys like Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer.
The general consensus around the league during his playing career was that IT was not that likable of a player. Charles Barkley offers insight onto why this is the case.
Charles Barkley on why Isiah Thomas is hated
Charles Barkley played in the same era as Isiah Thomas and so he’s seen firsthand what the response was from players in the NBA to Thomas. His reasoning for why the Pistons’ legendary point guard was disliked wasn’t all too secretive however as he claimed there were 3 reasons for it:
“That’s [being a dirty player] 1A. They did pummel Michael [Jordan] to death. Secondly, snubbing Michael in the All-Star Game. The third thing was when he said they only give Larry Bird credit because he’s white. Those 3 things are probably why he can’t get into the club,” said Chuck on the ‘Icons Club’ podcast.
The ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons earned the nickname for their hardnosed style of play and dirty plays were common for Chuck Daly and his squad. As for the Larry Bird situation, him and Dennis Rodman did catch a great deal of flack for belittling Bird’s successes during a post-game presser.
Isiah Thomas just wants an apology from Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan made it very clear on ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries that he didn’t like Isiah Thomas. He claimed he couldn’t ever be convinced of the fact that Thomas ‘wasn’t an a**hole’. Whether it was him not shaking his hand after the 1991 ECF sweep or getting iced out of the 1985 All-Star Game, MJ does not like IT.
Isiah, as expected, didn’t take too lightly of these comments made by the Bulls legend. After 3 years since the airing of the docuseries, Thomas states that he simply wants an apology from Michael for calling him an ‘a**hole’ on television.
