The longstanding tension between NBA icons Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas is no secret, stemming from events dating back over three decades.
The root of their discord traces back to the 1991 NBA Playoffs when Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were eliminated, and Thomas, along with his Detroit Pistons teammates, infamously walked off the court without shaking hands. This act of defiance reportedly played a role in Thomas being conspicuously absent from the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team.”
In a revealing conversation on Draymond Green‘s podcast on The Volume, Thomas expressed his astonishment at the depth of Jordan’s animosity towards him, an animosity he was oblivious to until the airing of the 2020 documentary “The Last Dance.”
“I never knew this dude felt the way he felt until ‘The Last Dance,'” Thomas remarked. “All these years you’ve been standing behind a tree throwing stones and letting someone else take the fall for it. Had I known you felt that way, I definitely would have treated you differently.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Updates
Thomas also brought up a gesture of sportsmanship from his past, highlighting how he persuaded Vince Carter to give up his starting position to Jordan in the 2003 All-Star Game. He then revisited the handshake incident, suggesting that the controversy was overblown.
“The champions, they always left the court and then they would come into your locker room after the game and shake your hand and say congratulations. That’s how it goes,” Thomas explained. “Chicago, they’re the only champion that still cries about somebody shaking their hand.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Updates
Thomas’s candid reflections shed light on his perspective of the feud and the dynamics of sportsmanship in the NBA. While he claims ignorance of Jordan’s true feelings until recently, this admission has been met with skepticism, considering the high-profile nature of their rivalry.
