“Oakley stop it with ‘Giannis Antetokounmpo wouldn’t dominate in the 80s’!! He’d be dunkin’ on everyone”: Isiah Thomas puts Knicks legend in his place for his take on the Bucks MVP

Isiah Thomas has joined in to discuss whether Giannis Antetokounmpo could be as good in the 80s and 90s.

Even before he turned 27, the Greek International won almost all individual honors and team rewards there are in the NBA and already booked his place to go into the Naismith Hall of Fame as a First Ballot entry for when it’s all said and done.

Since then, there are talks going on about if Antetokounmpo would be as dominant in the previous eras as he is currently. That’s the way it is. In any sport, once you start your ascendence as a great payer people start comparing you to the all-time greats.

But when the game’s legends themselves come out and bring it up, the discussion generally becomes a national sports media debate.

Also read: “Which record of mine are you going to go after Michael Jordan?”: When Bill Russell challenged the Bulls legend to try to go after his absurd Finals record

One such argument came up recently when Charles Oakley came out on a SLAM Magazine podcast and said that Giannis would have come off the bench if he played in Knicks legend’s era of the late 1980s and throughout the ’90s.

But then one of the greatest players of that era came forward and said Giannis would be making rounds on all the players in that era.

Isiah Thomas puts Charles Oakley in his place for his take on Giannis Antetokounmpo

As Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co put on a show Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets with a 130-106 win and the Greek Freak filled the scoresheet with 26 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, Zeke was quick to get on the praise train of the Bucks MVP.

“Giannis going around Oakley, Giannis going around all them,” Thomas said on being asked if Giannis would win the MVP in the 80s and the 90s.

“That dude would dog you every single time y’all stepped on the court.”@IsiahThomas gave his take on whether or not Giannis would be a MVP in the 80s/90s on #Gametime. pic.twitter.com/6AGagbJUyC

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 1, 2022

“He dunkin’ on them. He bigger, he faster, he stronger. You can talk all that stuff ’cause you don’t play anymore. You can talk all that stuff ’cause you got gray hair and you sitting on the sidelines, smoking cigars about what you used to do. That dude will dog you ever single time y’all step on the court. You may hit him hard. Okay. Aight. After you hit him hard, you ain’t got no game. You ain’t got no game.”

Although Oakley played most of his career as an enforcer first alongside Michael Jordan in the Bulls then with Patrick Ewing and the Knicks, Giannis will put up the man’s career-high numbers from any of his years while sleep-walking.

“He’d be dunkin’ on all them. All y’all stop it with ‘he wouldn’t dominate in the 80s.’ We ain’t never seen no dude like this come into our league. And give him his props, give him his credit. He would dog anybody in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 3020 when we get there.” Thomas finished with his not-so-famous grin.

Also read: “LeBron James is a model of consistency, professionalism, and greatness”: Stephen A. Smith reprimands Lakers Nation for booing the superstar recently 

It’s pretty apparent that why Oakley has started coming up with all these big takes all of a sudden. It all started just before the release of his book “The Last Enforcer” last month.

It shouldn’t surprise anybody if he starts speaking like Scottie Pippen all of a sudden and criticizes the HOFs he has played with. Oh, wait! He has done it already.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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