Isiah Thomas had been the thorn in Michael Jordan’s side for years—until the Bulls broke the Bulls’ supremacy in 1991. Almost a 10-year dominance came to an end, and Michael Jordan has never looked back since. But just one year after the famous 1991 win, Jordan and Thomas were gearing up to play in the Olympics as professional players.
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And then only one of the two got the call. Jordan was the face of the NBA, and he made the cut. Thomas, on the other hand, lost to Clyde Drexler. This one incident has been eating him up ever since, and the Detroit man has even searched for the reason it ever happened. And so, in a recent one-on-one chat with his former mortal enemy Karl Malone, Isiah asked him why he was left out.
And apparently the answer he received from the once Utah Jazz legend wasn’t one that he was very satisfied with. But then again, it was a complete departure from what he expected it to be.
Isiah Thomas is searching for answers to this day
Isiah and Karl have been on talking terms after their vicious incidents in court. Whenever they stepped onto the court, it was war. In fact, Thomas even got 40 stitches because of the big man. And of course, just that alone would make any normal person never want to sit across from the offender, let alone talk on normal terms.
However, Isiah decided to do so recently. And as mentioned earlier, the man decided to pop the question. Why was he left off the iconic Dream Team? And in response, Karl Malone simply had this to say.
“Let me put it out there… here’s what I’mma say to you (Isiah Thomas), on my ancestors and my mom, if there was a secret meeting… supposedly to keep you off the team, it was bullsh*t. If there was one that was held, I wasn’t in it.”
Isiah Thomas has, for the most part, let go of the past. The only thing that still haunts him, is his non-selection. And he has been asking everyone he can, to get the answer.
Karl Malone tried to placate him by swearing by his mother, but Thomas will never be satisfied until he hears it from the horse’s mouth. Magic Johnson recently came out with a less-than-flattering statement, saying the Detroit man “ruined his chances”. If nobody wanted to play with him, someone should have snitched, right? So who was it? And how did they decide?
Michael Jordan could have been the reason behind Zeke’s non-selection, but that team ultimately won what they set out to accomplish anyway
The 1992 Dream Team had everyone—except for one man. Everyone’s favorite player was on the team. From Michael Jordan to Karl Malone, everyone was present. Except, of course, for one point guard from Detroit, Isiah Thomas.
The man Michael Jordan lost to countless times before 1991 was the only big-name player that missed out on a ticket to Barcelona. For the first time, NBA players could represent their country, and Zeke was not going with them. And seeing his friends playing while he sat at home broke his heart.
The team was considered the greatest sports team ever built, and rightfully so. They had 11 Hall of Famers present, and gold was the minimum they expected—something they accomplished with ease.
The Dream Team was assembled in 1991 when the Olympics committee asked the NBA to send in its players. Hesitant at first, they decided to send in 12 players, 10 of whom were selected automatically. Chriss Laettner, Clyde Drexler, and Magic Johnson, who recently retired, were unexpected additions to the team.
To Thomas, it felt like a slap in the face because he, too, was no doubt a better player than Clyde Drexler and Magic Johnson, who had retired. So to consider those two names over his presence was hard. It’s been 31 years, and nobody seems to have a solid answer as to why he was left out.
But perhaps, just maybe, one day Michael Jordan himself will come out and put an end to conspiracy theories, one way or another. But until then, Isiah Thomas is left begging for the closure he so desperately desires.
