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.
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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.’”
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.
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“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.
This "Dream Team" Dunk Compilation Is Sure To Get You Hyped
With no actual games to report on, sometimes old highlights will put you in a good mood.
Being a sports fan is incredibly difficult these days. As for being a sports writer, well, it's arguably even worse as there is a lot less to talk about. There aren't any new games happening and "The Last Dance" seems to be the only story that is being universally reported by publications. Needless to say, it's getting pretty hard out here, and there only but a few things you can focus your attention on.
Luckily for both writers and fans, archival footage is a thing that exists. This allows us to watch any highlights we want, whenever we want. Well, recently, @dunk_comp on Twitter made their very own montage featuring dunk clips from the 1992 "Dream Team" that won gold at the Barcelona Olympics. If you were alive during the reign of the "Dream Team," then this compilation is surely going to brighten your day. Even if you're a Zoomer, these clips will certainly help you to appreciate some of the legends of basketball.
For those who don't know, the "Dream Team" had the likes of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, and some other legends of the game. They won every single game by 30 points which is a streak that started in the pre-tournament round.
A team this powerful will never be assembled again so if you have the time, why not marvel at their talents?
Charles Barkley Reveals Why He Is Selling His MVP Trophy
Charles Barkley announces that he's selling his MVP trophy and Dream Team memorabilia to help build affordable houses in his hometown.
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is reportedly prepared to sell off his NBA MVP trophy and other memorabilia from his storied career to help build affordable housing in his hometown, Leeds, Alabama. Barkley shared the news on Monday during an appearance on WJOX 94.5, as he explained that he hopes to build 10 to 20 houses in the area.
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Says Barkley (H/T USA Today):
"We probably got 30 eyesores, as I call them, where houses used to be when I was growing up. Either a rotted-out house or there's just weeds that have overgrown," Barkley said. "So, what I'm trying to do — I want to work with the city of Leeds, I want them to give me the spaces, number one. I want them to give me the houses, and I'm going to use my own money selling my memorabilia.
"I want to do something really nice for Leeds. And if I could build 10 to 20 affordable houses — I want to do green housing too — (and) if I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me."
Barkley added that all of his memorabilia remains at his grandmother's house - so he certainly won't miss any of it once it's sold. It remains to be seen exactly how much he'll get for the MVP trophy, Olympic gold medals and other Dream Team memorabilia, but it will certainly go a long way to help the cause in his hometown.
"I got an autograph deal with Panini and I was talking to the guys," Barkley explained (H/T USA Today) "cause all that stuff is at my grandmother's house, I don't even keep it to be honest with you — and I said, 'How much could I get for my MVP trophy and my two gold medals? And I got an autographed plaque signed by the first original Dream Team.' He says, 'Oh I can get you a lot of money for that stuff.'"