When one talks about basketball in the 80s and the 90s, a few names are unavoidable from the conversation. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas and their legendary championship rosters are inevitable parts of any such conversation.
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All three players mentioned above find their names thrown in discussions about the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. When USA basketball was calling upon a “Dream Team“, all three were expected to feature. Except, they didn’t.
Isiah Thomas, widely considered one of the greatest true point guards of all time, was surprisingly left out of the roster. While the point guards selected over Zeke were no chumps, Thomas was of a higher pedigree and had the accolades to back it up.
Naturally, this made for some incredible drama and garnered much media attention. Debates pander to date about the possible reasons for Isiah’s exclusion from the iconic roster.
Various sources pointed at Michael Jordan and his “hatred” for Isiah Thomas as a reason. Jordan was the undisputed top dog, and allegedly, Jordan’s veto got Isiah off the roster.
However, it appears to be another superstar who led the anti-Isiah agenda. At least, according to a common teammate and friend of Zeke and MJ, John Salley.
How does John Salley address the rumor of Jordan being responsible for Isiah’s exclusion from the Dream Team?
John Salley is someone who benefitted from playing with both MJ and Isiah Thomas during his career. Salley racked up 4 Championships in total during his NBA career, with three of them coming alongside one of these two superstars.
Salley also built a bond with the duo and maintained a bond with both the legends. And in Salley’s words, there was no apparent beef between Isiah and Michael. At least, not in the manner the media and pop culture made it out to be.
The former Bulls and Pistons big man makes it clear that there was no way MJ was the one vetoing the decision to exclude Thomas. “Michael doesn’t even talk” says Salley, describing how ridiculous the rumor attributing Jordan to Zeke’s exclusion was.
Salley goes on to mention how Magic Johnson was responsible for Thomas being left out of the roster. Johnson was the face of the NBA and, despite being at the last legs of his career, was one of the biggest stars in the Dream Team.
And being a more direct rival of Thomas than Jordan, the possibility of Magic being involved is more than believable. Further, Salley isn’t even speculating on the fact. The former big man bases his clarification based on his knowledge of the MJ-Isiah equation. Also, he brings to public attention the fact that Magic admitted to the same in his documentary.
“Magic said he blocked it!” remarks Salley about the whole controversy. The Magic – Isiah rivalry was not fed by a narrative as much as the Jordan – Isiah rivalry. But this does not take away how fierce and feisty things were between the duo.
Have Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas made peace with each other post-retirement?
So, with it being evident that there was beef between the two greatest point guards of their generation, the next question is natural – did the two ever make up?
Yes. In quite spectacular fashion to the public, that too. The duo appeared in an interview and cleared the air in an emotional affair.
The mutual respect the duo shared for each other’s ability was put out there for the world to see. As Magic and Isiah hugged it out, a whole generation of basketball fans witnessed a wholesome end to a generational rivalry. One that apparently resulted in the most high-profile exclusion in basketball history.
Also read: 6’9” Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas’ on-camera ‘kiss’ was inspired by Italian families’ traditions
