The rivalry between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas remains one of the most heated and captivating in NBA history. Few scenarios of two superstar players forming an on-court rivalry will see that real intensity linger after retirement. Both men clearly hated each other during their playing careers and treated the other like the enemy.
However, that has extended into their older years with neither having great things to say about the other. The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons facing off multiple times in the playoffs made fans fall in love with the Jordan vs Thomas saga. A deeper look at the on-court and off-court issues between the two will be examined.
10 Beef Started With Isiah Thomas Refusing To Pass To Michael Jordan In All-Star Game
The 1985 All-Star Game gave Michael Jordan his first taste of that stage when playing with the top stars in the Eastern Conference. Jordan revealed that he believed the team froze him out by not passing the ball intentionally with Isiah Thomas doing it the most.
Thomas has retorted calling Jordan a liar, but many other NBA personalities believe Jordan more. Their rivalry took off when their teams had hard fought playoff series'. However, the dislike started earlier when technically on the same team.
9 Michael Jordan Lost To Isiah Thomas In Postseason 3 Year In A Row
The only real knock against Michael Jordan’s NBA career was that he lost to Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons three years in a row. NBA Playoff action saw the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls facing off four years in a row with Jordan getting knocked out three times.
Chicago couldn’t get over the hump until that fourth year, but it gives an argument to LeBron James fans since Jordan stans often bring up certain teams eliminating James. Jordan needed to slay the dragon of Detroit and Isiah before he could win a ring.
8 Isiah Thomas Doesn't Think Michael Jordan Is The GOAT
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Most basketball fans name Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all-time with LeBron James having an argument mostly from modern fans and some older fans vouching for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Isiah Thomas is one of the rare people to have those other two listed above Jordan.
The belief among the average NBA fan is that Thomas says this out of resentment towards a player he hated. However, Isiah believes that the longevity of Abdul-Jabbar before Jordan and LeBron after Jordan deserve to win out.
7 Three Consecutive Eastern Conference Finals
The four consecutive series between the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls was impressive enough, but three of them taking place in the Eastern Conference Finals was even more shocking. It is extremely unlikely for two teams in a conference to make it to the end three times in a row.
Larry Bird suffering injuries ended the Boston Celtics run of dominance from the early to mid-1980s. Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas led their respective teams to that forefront of the East afterwards. Chicago finally beating Detroit in 1991 felt like the real NBA Final, even though it was a sweep in favor of Jordan.
6 Isiah Thomas Had To Commentate Michael Jordan's Title Wins
One of the wilder twists in the Michael Jordan vs Isiah Thomas rivalry featured one of them taking a new role. Thomas signed to become one of the top color commentators for NBA when Jordan was back for his second stint after the first retirement.
Jordan winning NBA Championships in the second threepeat featured Thomas with Bob Costas and other broadcasters calling the action. The disdain between the two didn’t stop Isiah from being professional, but it was likely still difficult for him to call.
5 Michael Jordan Caused Isiah Thomas To Get Snubbed By Dream Team
A huge source of tension for Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas revolved around the 1992 Dream Team. The NBA’s greatest players of that generation assembled an Avengers-like group of basketball players led by Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Isiah Thomas was clearly the biggest snub since he was arguably the second-best point guard of the era behind Magic. Jordan has claimed that other people disliked Isiah as well, but Thomas blamed Jordan for him getting snubbed.
4 Isiah Thomas' Body Broke Down After Bulls Topped Pistons
The peak of Isiah Thomas’ career came those years when the Detroit Pistons not only stopped Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, but they also won the NBA Championship. Thomas was a superstar for a team that won two NBA Championships in a row.
Unfortunately, the rest of Thomas’ career was not that strong. Various injuries harmed Thomas and saw his body breaking down. Thomas only had three more years in the league after losing to Jordan and retired at the younger age of 34.
3 Michael Jordan Felt Disrespected By Detroit Pistons Walking Off
A huge moment in the Michael Jordan vs Isiah Thomas rivalry came at the end of the feud. The Chicago Bulls sweeping the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals was a huge moment for Jordan finally getting over the hump.
Detroit’s “Bad Boys” Pistons knew the game was over with a few seconds left, and the starters walked off the court without shaking hands. Jordan and Scottie Pippen looked disgusted as Isiah led his teammates off the court, refusing to acknowledge the winners.
2 Isiah Thomas Was Mad Chicago Acquired Dennis Rodman
The Chicago Bulls made a shocking move for the second threepeat when trading for Dennis Rodman. Michael Jordan spoke negatively about the Bad Boys Pistons, but he wasn’t against adding Rodman when he was the missing piece for their team.
Isiah Thomas was critical of this move arguing that Chicago claimed that the Bad Boys were bad for basketball yet jumped at the chance to trade for Rodman. The move helped the Bulls double their total titles with a new big three.
1 First Major NBA Rivalry After Magic Johnson Vs Larry Bird
The NBA changed for the better when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the league and formed an epic rivalry. Both players leading the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics respectively into series' against each other created huge interest.
Michael Jordan vs Isiah Thomas carried the torch of a major playoff rivalry shortly after with their various meetings. The real tension and disdain strayed away from the Magic vs Bird sportsmanship rivalry. Jordan and Thomas gave us the first taste of two players hating each other while competing at the highest level.