ESPN's The Last Dance has put a spotlight back onto Michael Jordan's legendary run with the Chicago Bulls. Fans have received a deeper insight into the Bull but more specifically, a behind the scenes look at the life of the greatest basketball player to ever do it during his reign. But more than anything, it attempted to clarify rumors and provide answers surround the urban legends surrounding Jordan.
Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Jordan and Isiah Thomas' tense relationship, especially in regards to the 1992 Dream Team, was highlighted in the doc. Jordan denied the rumor that he had anything to do with Thomas' absence from the team.
"Before the '92 Olympics, Rod Thorn calls me and says, 'We would love for you to be on the Dream Team,'" Jordan said in the documentary. "I say, 'Who's all playing?' He says, 'What does that mean?' I say, 'Who's all playing?' He says, 'Well, the guy you're talking about or you're thinking about, he's not going to be playing.'"
Leaked audio, however, suggests otherwise. Old audio surfaced this week on Jack McCallum's The Dream Team Tapes Podcast where Jordan directly mentions Isiah's name in a conversation with Rod Thorn. "[Selection committee member] Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team,’” Jordan's heard saying. “He assured me. He said, ‘You know what? Chuck (Daly) doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.’”
Isiah Thomas Makes Peculiar Claim About Michael Jordan
Isiah Thomas wasn't giving too much thought to Michael Jordan during the 80s.
Thanks to "The Last Dance," Michael Jordan's rivalry with Isiah Thomas has been well-documented. Thomas played for the Bad Boy Pistons who always seemed to get in Jordan's way whenever he went for a championship. Thomas was able to win two titles before Jordan went on his infamous first three-peat although to this day, there still seems to be quite a bit of tension between the two.
During an appearance on FS1's Speak For Yourself, Thomas spoke about his rivalries and made the bizarre claim that he never felt like MJ was his real competition. As he explains, he was more concerned about the Celtics and Lakers than he ever was about the Bulls.
“When we were all young and healthy – from 84 to 90 – the numbers speak for themselves. He wasn’t really my competition. My competition was Bird and Magic, trying to catch the Celtics, trying to catch the Lakers. Chicago at that time, and Jordan at that time, from 84 to 90, before my wrist surgery, he just – that wasn’t my competition,” Thomas said.
These comments seem pretty bizarre when you consider just how much his team used to bully Jordan on the court. It's clear the Pistons saw MJ as a threat but all these years later, he refuses to admit it.
If there is one thing for certain from "The Last Dance," it's that MJ and Thomas will never reconcile.
Stephen A. Smith Gives Top 5 People MJ Should Be Thankful For
Stephen A. Smith has an interesting take on who Michael Jordan should be thanking for his career.
Stephen A. Smith is easily one of the most opinionated men in all of sports media and every so often, he comes through with some opinions that leave fans scratching their heads. Most recently, he went on First Take and gave a list of five people that Michael Jordan should be thankful for. You would think that most of these people would have to do with the Chicago Bulls but as it turns out, the list is actually quite the mixed bag and can be made open for debate.
As you can see from the clip below, it starts out with Smith ranking Phil Jackson fifth, Isiah Thomas fourth, Scottie Pippen third, Magic Johnson second, and David Falk first. All of these choices were backed up by some sound reasoning although you can't help but feel like maybe Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson should be above guys like Thomas and Johnson.
It's impossible to accomplish anything all on your own and Jordan wasn't the exception to that rule. He had plenty of great partners and rivals over the years and those listed by Smith are all great options.
Fans might be particularly surprised by Falk's inclusion here but he is the man behind Jordan's Nike deal which has brought in billions of dollars over the years. Clearly, Falk is the unsung hero of Jordan's career.
Michael Jordan Claims Innocence Over Isiah Thomas "Dream Team" Snub
Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas’ rivalry was very well documented.
Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have had one of the deepest rivalries in NBA history and the two still don’t like each other very much. Back in 1992, Thomas was left off the infamous “Dream Team” thanks to his bad relationships with players around the league. Over the years, many people have blamed Jordan for Thomas’ snub although in a recent episode of “The Last Dance,” Jordan made sure to note that it wasn’t his fault.
As he explains, Team USA had already made its decision to leave Thomas off the squad, well before contacting all the players about potentially linking up.
Rich Fury/Getty Images
“Before the Olympics, Rod Thorn calls me and says we would love for you to be on The Dream Team,” Jordan said. “I said, ‘Who’s all playing?’ He said, ‘What’s that mean?’ I said, ‘Who’s all playing?’ He says, ‘Well, the guy you are talking about and you are thinking about is not going to be playing.’ It was insinuated I was asking about him, but I never threw his name in there. You want to attribute it to me, go ahead. Be my guest. But it wasn’t me.”
Thomas and Jordan’s relationship won’t be patched up anytime soon and this documentary certainly won’t help. Regardless, it has made for some pretty great drama for the viewers at home.
Isiah Thomas Expresses Disappointment Over "Dream Team" Snub
Isiah Thomas was left off the "Dream Team" in 1992 and the pain has never subsided.
Isiah Thomas continues to speak out about "The Last Dance" and his role in the documentary. Last night was particularly hard for Thomas as he had to relive the time he walked off the court against the Chicago Bulls after being swept, without shaking hands. In fact, it is believed that Michael Jordan felt so disrespected by this move, that he ended up making sure Thomas never got a spot on the United States Dream Team which won Olympic Gold back in 1992.
Today, Thomas spoke about not making the "Dream Team" and noted that if his actions in 1991 were truly the reason behind his Olympic snub, he is even more disappointed now. Clearly, Thomas has built up a lot of pain inside of him over these past few years, and "The Last Dance" is making him relive all of it.
"If I'm not apart of the Dream Team because of a lapse in emotion in terms of not shaking someone's hand, if that's the reason why I didn't make the Dream Team, then I am more disappointed today than I was back then when I wasn't selected," Thomas said.
Hopefully, Thomas and Jordan can one day sit down and talk things through, man to man. The entire basketball world would benefit from some sort of reconciliation.
Isiah Thomas Says "The Last Dance" Treats Pistons Unfairly
Isiah Thomas felt like the Chicago Bulls deserved as much criticism as the Detroit Pistons.
Isiah Thomas continues to be a major focal point in sports coverage these days thanks to his role in "The Last Dance." Michael Jordan hated Thomas and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons who were constantly knocking him down and abusing him in the paint. During an episode of the documentary last night, the Pistons' aggression was on full display and young basketball fans were beginning to understand why Jordan lost so much in his early years. In fact, fans were quite critical of the Pistons' tactics.
Today on First Take, Thomas defended his former team and said that while he admits his team was very aggressive, you could easily say the same things about the Chicago Bulls. In fact, Thomas believes the Bulls modeled their defense after the Pistons and that's why they won so many championships.
"It was okay when Rodman was rough ... You always show [the Pistons] knocking somebody down ... but you never show the other team," Thomas said. "You make it sound like the Chicago Bulls didn't have Charles Oakley."
Earlier today, Thomas apologized for walking off the court without shaking hands with MJ after being swept in the 1991 playoffs. Clearly, Thomas is trying to make amends for the past while also doing right by his former teammates. Now it's simply up to the fans to decide who is in the right here.
Isiah Thomas Apologizes To Detroit For Infamous Pistons Walk-Off
Isiah Thomas had a lot to say about the infamous Pistons walk-off that was highlighted on "The Last Dance."
Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons had a pretty negative reputation around the NBA during the late 80s and early 90s. For those who don't know, this Pistons team played a lot like the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s. The Flyers were a hockey team known for using fighting and physicality as a way to win games and the Pistons translated that style onto a basketball court.
During last night's episode of "The Last Dance," we got to see a series between the Chicago Bulls and Pistons in which MJ swept Thomas is four-straight. In the decisive game, Thomas and his teammates infamously walked off the court without shaking hands which led to a lot of criticism. Almost 30 years later, Thomas and his Pistons are still made fun of for their actions that night and today on ESPN's "Get Up," Thomas apologized for all of it.
“The fact that I have to sit here today — and Jalen (Rose), Chris Webber, Steve Smith, who I work with — the hurt that those guys feel for me, having to be in this moment. I apologize to them in Detroit for all of us in this moment,” Thomas explained.
While the apology must certainly be nice to hear, we're sure Michael Jordan would prefer to get the apology directed at himself and in-person to boot. Jordan seemed pretty upset with Thomas in the documentary and all of these years later, it's obvious that bad blood still exists between the two.
Isaiah Thomas Addresses Fans Confusing Him With Isiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas continues to be confused with his namesake throughout the airing of ESPN's "The Last Dance."
If you have been watching ESPN's Michael Jordan documentary called "The Last Dance," then you would know that Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons is a major part of the series. Thomas was one of Jordan's biggest rivals out on the court and his bad boy Pistons were notorious for roughing up Jordan in ways that would simply not fly in today's NBA. During Episode 4 of the series, the Pistons' antics were on full display, and fans were pretty shocked at how Jordan was being treated.
MJ fans were so hasty to send some hate Thomas' way that they started to confuse him with the Isaiah Thomas who is in the NBA right now. The more current Thomas spells his first name differently although the pronunciations are the same, thus leading to a whole bunch of angry messages in Isaiah's mentions. The former Washington Wizard was getting plenty of hate last night and made sure to address the fans who were getting him mixed up with the Pistons legend.
When you think about it, this is a pretty hilarious mix up although it's clear why Isaiah Thomas would be just a tad bit annoyed by it all. After all, if you're a diehard NBA fan, you should be able to tell the difference between the two.
Isiah Thomas Questions Michael Jordan’s GOAT Status
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan have a rivalry that cuts pretty deep.
There has always been a huge rivalry between the likes of Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan. The Bad Boy Pistons dominated MJ’s Bulls back in the 80s and as we all know by now, Jordan absolutely despised them. In fact, Jordan made sure Thomas didn’t get a spot on the Dream Team back in 1992, simply Thomas beat him so many times.
In a recent interview, Thomas spoke about Jordan and whether or not he could truly be called the GOAT. As Thomas explains, there are multiple players with Jordan’s athleticism in the NBA right now and that if you were to put LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the 80s, they would probably be just as, if not more dominant.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
“I think this generation [of players] is not getting enough credit for what they’re doing,” Thomas said. “Because the athletes that are in this generation are so far superior than what was in my generation. [When we were playing], Jordan was the best athlete that we had ever seen, [but] from an athletic standpoint, there are like 10 or 11 guys in the NBA right now with Jordan’s athleticism. We didn’t have that back then. With what [Kevin Durant] and LeBron are doing, if you put them back in the era of the ’80s, with their talent, their athleticism and their skill, who’s the GOAT?”
Thomas’s comments will certainly cause some debate in the comments section amongst LeBron and MJ stans. Regardless, it’s important to remember that we should just be happy to recognize greatness as opposed to harping on comparisons.
[Via]
Isiah Thomas’ Egregious Michael Jordan Take Receives Wave Of Boos
Thomas was in Chicago when he made his point.
NBA All-Star weekend is in Chicago this year which means Bulls fans are extremely excited about the event. The Bulls have boasted some incredible All-Stars over the years including the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. One of their biggest rivals during the late 80s and early 90s was none other than the Detroit Pistons led by Isiah Thomas. Today, Thomas was on First Take where he talked about the Bulls-Pistons rivalry and how he felt about it all.
As you can imagine, Thomas was quite defensive when pressed by Max Kellerman. Kellerman made the argument that once Jordan got another All-Star, he was finally able to push the Pistons to seven games. Thomas countered that argument by saying he never needed another All-Star and did it all himself. He later said head-to-head the Pistons were better which, of course, was met with some raucous boos from the Chicago crowd.
Kellerman seemed to heavily disagree with Thomas' arguments although he should know that the NBA legend is biased. When asked if your team was better than one of the greatest dynasties ever, you're going to say yes. You always want to believe you're the best and that's exactly what Thomas was doing here.
What do you think of Thomas' comments? Do you agree with him or is he way off?