The animosity between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas stemmed from a long-standing rivalry on the basketball court. Their competitive nature and desire to win often resulted in intense matchups and heated exchanges.
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However, the tension between them escalated in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Isiah and his Detroit Pistons became known for their aggressive and physical play against Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
The Pistons were known for their “Bad Boys” persona and their tactics of roughing up opposing players. The tension reached a boiling point in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals when the Bulls finally defeated the Pistons in a 4-0 sweep.
Isiah and his teammates left the court without shaking hands with the Bulls players, a move that was seen as a sign of disrespect. Jordan and other Bulls players took this snub personally, and the animosity between Jordan and Isiah only grew stronger.
Despite later attempts to reconcile, their animosity remains a notable part of NBA history.
Isiah Thomas points out the two-faced nature of Michael Jordan
Isiah Thomas was recently a guest with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the All the Smoke Podcast. As with most Isiah interviews, there was a segment in which they talked about his experiences with Michael Jordan. Isiah pointed out the hypocrisy of MJ thus:
“You (Michael Jordan) got on national television and you called me an a*****e, and then you said you hated me. Now if you didn’t mean it, get on national television and apologize for it.”
“When Jordan first came to Chicago, my family and his family, not only did they socialize, hang out – I had a little nephew that lived with him. And everybody’s still cool.”
“By the way, all the years that you supposedly hated me, you (Michael Jordan) voted for me to be the president of your union!”
“You put that out there, and now you’re home or doing whatever you do, and I gotta answer this BS question.”
Will MJ and Isiah ever mend fences with each other?
The Jordan-Isiah feud has been going on for several decades, and it seems unlikely that it will end anytime soon. While it’s possible that they could eventually reconcile and put their differences aside, it seems unlikely given the history and the public statements they’ve made about each other.
However, it’s important to remember that people can change and relationships can evolve over time, so it’s always possible that they could find a way to move past their feud.
