Isiah Thomas praises LeBron James’ ability while dissing Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and his own!

Jeet Pukhrambam | 25/09/2022
Isiah Thomas praises LeBron James' ability while dissing Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and his own!

Isiah Thomas’ disdain for Michael Jordan knows no bounds, this time, he has put LeBron James’ record with rookie coaches as meritorious.

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.

Also read: “Another trophy room sneaker after a meeting with a trophy wife”: Can Marcus Jordan stop desecrating things attached Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan?

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.

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.

Also read: LeBron James at 21 was as effective as Kobe Bryant in 2005-06, but his name shockingly did not come up in MVP talks

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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