Veteran point guard Isiah Thomas reveals rooting for the 1992 Dream Team, including Jazz legend Karl Malone.
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It’s no secret that Isiah Thomas doesn’t share the best relationship when it comes to his peers. The Pistons veteran’s rivalry with Michael Jordan has been well-documented in the latter’s award-winning docuseries The Last Dance, which caused Zeke a lot of bad PR.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics had Team USA assemble their best talent, with His Airness being the face, given his soaring popularity across the borders. The roster had all the big names like Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Larry Bird, and Karl Malone, with Thomas left out for reasons unknown.
At the time, reports suggested Zeke’s bitter relations with MJ for not being on the squad. While the Bulls guard denied any such allegations, he had his prerequisites. Jordan’s hesitance to have Isiah on board was enough for the likes of Pippen, Bird, and Malone to follow suit.
During a recent appearance on the HoopDuJour, Zeke addressed not being part of the Dream Team and the 42 stitches he received at the hands of the Mailman.
Isiah Thomas reveals rooting for the 1992 Dream Team.
In a recent candid interview, Thomas admitted to not having any malice against anyone for not being selected for the Dream Team, adding that he supported arch rivals Stockton and Malone. Nonetheless, Zeke didn’t forget to address the ugly incident between him and the Mailman that led to 42 stitches.
“I watched every game and rooted for them because I really had no animosity for anybody at the time,” said Thomas when asked about the Dream Team.
The two-time Finals MVP touched upon Malone’s elbowing, which left him in a pool of blood. Before this unfortunate incident, Zeke had dropped 44-points against Stockton in a matchup.
As a result of his action, the Jazz MVP was ejected and levied with a $10,000 fine, followed by a 1-game suspension. Speaking of the same, Thomas spoke about supporting the Mailman during the Olympics, before receiving 42-stitches.
“Karl Malone hit me later, he hadn’t hit me then.”
When asked how many stitches, Zeke replied the following.
“42, he hit me after the selection.” Revisiting their previous meeting before the untoward incident, Isiah joked how Malone was 2-stitches shy, referring to him dropping 44-points in a matchup against Stockton.
“He missed me by 2-stitches.”
While Isiah wasn’t selected for the 92 Olympics, one cannot fight much for his case, given the Dream Team having an iconic run in Barcelona capped with a gold medal.
