The bitterness between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan isn’t going anytime soon, with the two legends continuing to take digs at each other despite decades into retirement. A rivalry that began during the late 80s, with the two Hall of Famers battling it out for the eastern conference championship.
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At the time, it was the era of the Bad Boys Pistons in Detroit, known for their rough defense, adopting a physical style of play. Isiah and co stood as a roadblock for MJ and the Bulls, spoiling the latter’s campaign from 1988-90 each time they met during the postseason.
The Pistons adopted the infamous ‘Jordan Rules’ as a defensive strategy to contain the Bulls MVP, which included double or even triple teaming him, not letting him get inside the paint. However, the 1991 ECF flipped the switch for His Airness and the city of Chicago as they won their first NBA title.
The infamous handshake incident during the 1991 ECF was the last nail in the coffin of the relationship between Isiah and Jordan. As years passed, both multiple-time champions never hesitated to take digs at each other publicly, with the docuseries The Last Dance being the latest instance.
Isiah Thomas has no plans to end his feud with Michael Jordan.
MJ’s award-winning docuseries The Last Dance did bring its share of controversies, with the six-time champion openly despising Zeke, even calling him an a**hole.
Recently, when asked about his long-standing feud with His Airness and its portrayal in The Last Dance, Isiah had the following to say.
“When I was watching the ‘last dance’, I’m seating there, and I’m watching it with my family, and I’m thinking everything is good. And then this guy comes on television, and he says that he hates me, and then he calls me an a**hole. And then I proceed to watch a whole documentary about him being an a**hole. I’m like wait a minute, time out. Until I get a public apology, this beef is gonna go on for a long long time, cause I’m from the west side of Chicago.”
My full quote don’t shorten it or take it out context see below why! https://t.co/2Vckw2yb3d
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) November 8, 2022
With MJ showing no signs of tendering an apology, the rift between the two legends is here to stay.
The unsaid respect for each other’s game.
Though Isiah and MJ don’t see eye to eye, the two Finals MVPs have always given each other their due when required. The Bulls guard has time and again stated that Zeke is one of the greatest point guards to play the game after Magic.
On the other hand, Isiah named Jordan as one of his top 5 players of all time alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Julius Erving.
Well, it’s great to see Isiah and MJ show each other professional respect.
