Isiah Thomas’ disdain for Michael Jordan knows no bounds, this time, he has put LeBron James’ record with rookie coaches as meritorious.
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Isiah Thomas, legendary point guard, famous Michael Jordan destroyer from the late 80s and 90s, and a failed GM with the Knicks, was a man of many talents. The Detroit Pistons legend had an unforgettable career and an unforgettable squabble.
His beef with Michael Jordan was the talk of the NBA and to a fair extent, it still is. Like an ankle injury that lingers forever, the pain between Isiah and Mike is something the NBA will continue to talk about for decades to come.
As always it is Isiah who is at the fore. And according to him, LeBron James’ superior IQ makes him a far greater basketball player than him, MJ, or even Shaquille O’Neal.
And while that argument has made the rounds over our desks and almost to every other sports desk, this time Isiah’s narrative features the fact that LeBron James never had any good coaches around him.
LeBron James took rookie coaches to NBA titles, something Michael Jordan never did, according to Isiah Thomas
He claimed that LeBron James never got the benefit of having a hall-of-fame coach and that he had to lead the coaches into new territory, one of glory and victory.
He even proclaimed once that “LeBron is the Einstein of Basketball”. While the point might have its merits saying that LeBron’s coaches were rookies or didn’t have an edge like he or MJ did with their coaches would be a little egregious.
“LeBron James is the Einstein of basketball”
-Isiah Thomas back in 2017
— Masked In LA 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) August 31, 2022
Sure, Phil Jackson was great. But that shouldn’t mean that Ty Lue, Erik Spoelstra, or Frank Vogel weren’t good coaches. They were brilliant, which allowed them to take advantage of LeBron James’ talent.
No amount of experience will take away talent. In fact, it only adds to it. We think Isiah might have been clutching at straws here but you get why. If you want to see more, you can watch Isiah talk about this here.