Former Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas claims he was at least trying to do some good for rival Michael Jordan.
The two players have been at odds since the Pistons and Chicago Bulls were rivals in the 1980s and early 1990s. But Thomas thought he would make a friendly gesture at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan’s last.
Thomas, a former head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, said he made a special effort to reassure Jordan. He detailed the situation during a recent appearance on the Draymond Green Podcast.
“I coached his last All-Star game,” Thomas said. “Vince Carter won the starting job. I pulled Vince Carter aside and convinced him to give up his spot to Michael Jordan.”
Thomas said otherwise he would have thought he knew how Jordan felt about him. It was widely expected that Jordan would not make Thomas the 1992 Olympic team.
In a 2020 episode of The Last Dance documentary, Thomas was still angry about Jordan calling him a “jerk.” Since then, this has changed Thomas’ perspective, causing him to criticize Jordan every chance he gets.
“I didn’t know how this guy felt until ‘The Last Dance,’” Thomas said. “For all these years you’ve been standing between trees throwing rocks and holding others accountable. If I had known you felt this way I would have treated you differently.”
This never-ending squabble has its latest chapter.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA.He can be contacted at shandelrich@gmail.com