“Michael Jordan can say he didn’t want me on the ‘Dream Team’ but Scottie Pippen can’t say nothing!”: When Isiah Thomas talked about his distaste for the Bulls legend

Isiah Thomas said that Michael Jordan or Larry Bird can say that they didn’t want him on the ‘Dream Team’ but Scottie Pippen cannot. 

There are several layers to the ‘beef’ that exists between players that were on the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons and the late 80s to early 90s Chicago Bulls. Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Bill Laimbeer, Scottie Pippen, amongst several others, have talked at great length about how much they do not like each other due to their battles in their heyday. 

One particular storyline that has been at the forefront of it all was the exclusion of Isiah Thomas from the 1992 ‘Dream Team’. This was eerily similar to the time that Michael Jordan was frozen out of the 1985 All-Star Game as he would receive little to no touches throughout the entirety of the game.

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Many have claimed that MJ returned the favor by not allowing him to suit for the United States in 1992. This was later proven to be true as Jordan had told former NBA executive, Rod Thorn, that he wouldn’t play during the 1992 Olympics if Isiah Thomas was on the squad. 

Isiah Thomas was not appreciative of Scottie Pippen, of all people, not wanting him on the ‘Dream Team’. 

Michael Jordan wasn’t the only Chicago Bull who had a certain level of distaste for IT as Scottie Pippen, during the 2012 Dream Team documentary, claimed that he didn’t want the Piston on the team either. During an ‘Open Court’ segment that featured NBA legends like Isiah Thomas, Reggie Miller, and Shaq, Thomas opened up about Scottie saying that about him. 

“I don’t mind Michael Jordan saying, ‘I don’t want him on the Dream Team’. I don’t mind Larry Bird saying, I don’t want Isiah on the Dream Team’. But Scottie Pippen? Man, come on. You can’t say nothing!”

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This is of course, a dig at the Robin to Jordan’s Batman as he’s heavily implying that Scottie Pippen is not someone who has the type of pull that the ‘GOAT’ or Larry Legend have. Scottie did eventually get Isiah back during an interview in 2018 by saying nobody knows who the 2x Pistons champ is and that he simply, does not respect him.