Michael Jordan is as big as someone can get in NBA basketball.
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Widely considered the GOAT, His Airness is the pinnacle of success in the modern NBA. Two three-peats, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs – the list of accolades is endless with MJ.
Jordan was the face of the NBA and the first true global superstar from the world of basketball. The cultural significance Air Jordans, Gatorade, and Space Jam granted Jordan was unprecedented.
Also read: The secret to Michael Jordan’s success? An inhuman 48-inch vertical and an 11-inch hand span
The initial days of Jordan’s career however were not laden with team success. The Bulls were a middling team that immediately became one to watch with Jordan. They weren’t uprooting trees really, however.
Those were the days when the NBA was dominated by three teams: The Lakers, The Celtics, and the hipster favorite “Bad Boy Pistons”. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Isiah Thomas headlined these giants and along with Jordan were arguably the biggest names in basketball at the time.
And the 1992 Olympics at Barcelona posed an opportunity to see all of them ball together. However, it wasn’t to be.
How did the union of the stars fail with the Dream Team?
Well, it wasn’t entirely a failure. There just was one notable absentee – Isiah Thomas.
The underdog was the party pooper in the NBA’s big markets. Isiah and his Pistons were the roadblocks preventing the coronations of Magic, Bird, and Jordan. The enemies of the public.
Isiah not being included in the 1992 Olympic Squad naturally became a topic of conversation. And rumors swirled around that the exclusion owed to Jordan requesting for the same.
The best point guard not named Magic Johnson was left out of the Dream Team. And the mystery was never solved as to why.
In the Last Dance, Michael Jordan addressed his role in the process. Or, the lack of.
Jordan stated that in his eyes, “The best point guard of all time is Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas is the second best”. Laying out the respect he had for the man, Jordan goes into the topic of team harmony.
The general vibe of the team was one that hated the Bad Boys. Thomas was the face of the Pistons and the target of much of the hate. According to Jordan, “it was best harmony” for the team that Thomas not be there.
Jordan claims to have not been the one who threw Isiah under the bus. Who did? The biggest snub in basketball history is still to be entirely explained.
Also read: Who is second to Michael Jordan on this coveted playoff scoring list?
