The Chicago Bulls-Detroit Pistons rivalry in the late 1980s sparked the rise of the infamous Michael Jordan–Isiah Thomas feud. A tussle that once started due to the Bad Boys Pistons’ physical style of play once even led to Jordan calling Zeke an “a**hole” on Netflix’s The Last Dance. But, while a public apology for the same, IT has mentioned on live TV that a hypothetical pairing with MJ would’ve led to them winning 8 or 9 championships together.
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During the three-year span from 1988-1990, the Detroit Pistons met the Illinois-based franchise in the postseason and managed to emerge victorious in all three of those instances. While Thomas and Co. did play some terrific basketball, their brutal-natured defense would frustrate His Airness endlessly.
Already having a strong aversion against the Pistons, Jordan hated the fact that Isiah instructed his teammates to walk off the floor, without shaking hands, after the Bulls swept them in the 1991 postseason.
Despite their ongoing feud, however, the long-time Pistons legend spoke about the hypothetical pairing of him and MJ.
“8 or 9 championships definitely”: Isiah Thomas
Feeling disrespected after the Pistons’ unsportsmanlike behavior following their series loss, Air Jordan still holds a grudge. And it’s fair to say that it goes both ways, as Thomas has still not forgiven the GOAT for his abusive comments.
However, despite their infamous quarrel, Thomas knows just how deadly an MJ-IT duo would have been. In a recent NBA TV postgame appearance, Jamal Crawford asked the NBA legend about the outcome of the hypothetical duo.
Jamal Crawford: ‘How many championships could you have won if you and Michael Jordan were teammates?”
Without displaying his hatred towards the Black Cat, the Pistons legend confidently stated that they would have won ‘8 or 9’ titles.
Isiah Thomas: “8 or 9 definitely.”
The Pistons and the Bulls combined for 5 straight titles from 1989-1993. Even though they did have quite a support crew, we can safely assume that the two superstars would have been immensely successful. In fact, there is no question that would have been the case. Despite this fact, however, Jordan once allegedly vetoed their potential team-up completely.
MJ vetoed IT’s selection on the “Dream Team” as per rumors
Isiah Thomas’ snub from the 1992 Dream Team caught the entire basketball community by surprise.
However, it was later found out that Mike only had one condition on joining the American contingent for the 1992 Barcelona Games – Thomas couldn’t be a part of the squad.
That said, despite the many allegations and rumors, the 5-time Most Valuable Player denied vetoing the then-Pistons guard’s inclusion on the team. In an episode of The Last Dance, Jordan, this is all he said:
“If you want to attribute it to me, go ahead, but it wasn’t me. The Dream Team, based on the atmosphere and the camaraderie that was on that team, lived in harmony. Would Isiah have had a different feeling on that team? Yes.”
To this day, Thomas’ exclusion is considered one of the biggest snubs in American sports history. Even though Magic Johnson and Co. clinched the gold medal, having MJ’s nemesis on that roster would inarguably have been more beneficial.
