Back in the 80s, a rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls shook the NBA to its core. To this day, it is one of the most talked about battles in league history. The rivalry was so intense that the after-effects are felt to this day. In the Last Dance docuseries, millions saw Michel Jordan call ‘Bad Boy’ Isiah Thomas an “a**hole”. At that time it seemed to be another chapter in MJ taking something ‘personal’. However, from Zeke’s point of view, the story was completely different.
Recently, the two-time NBA champion appeared on the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast to discuss his career and life away from basketball. As expected, his rivalry with the Chicago Bulls icon was one of the subjects. And it has once again managed to stir up some drama. Not only does Thomas want a public apology from His Airness, but he also believes Jordan owes it to his ‘brothers’ to explain some of his actions.
Isiah Thomas wants Michael Jordan to do a podcast?
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Sitting down with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Thomas told the story of the time His Airness himself approached him for the ‘Last Dance’. According to Zeke, it was an opportunity to squash the beef and give his opponent the respect he deserved. To show his motives, the former Pistons guard wore a suit as a symbol of respect and sat for an interview for two hours. Thomas claims to have said nice things about Jordan, and he expected the treatment to be reciprocated.
With the documentary as proof, the 61-year-old was indeed incorrect in his assumptions. Not only did Michael Jordan rip into the Bad Boys for the physical punishment they gave him, but he personally attacked Isiah Thomas. This came as a shock to Zeke.
On one end, the six-time champion personally called him and requested a sit-down, saying, “can’t tell my story without you”, prompting Zeke to feel their past beef has been settled. But what transpired after his favor was an onslaught of insults in front of millions that made the Pistons legend feel blindsided.
After revealing all the facts of the matter to the hosts, Thomas proposed Jordan come on the podcast to answer the looming questions. He claims if MJ is “real”, he would do the needful.
Isiah Thomas said, “Now if he real, he should come on your show. He should sit in this seat and he should talk to y’all as brothers. I mean really. I hear y’all praise him, rightfully so. And he should be. You know, his shoe game is tight. What he has done in the shoe industry… and we happy for that. But there’s some other stuff. Hey come on man, be real.”?
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Meanwhile, in response to Stephen Jackson’s question, Thomas also revealed that he didn’t get paid for his The Last Dance contribution, shocking the entire room.
Now we don’t know how Michael Jordan will deal with Thomas’ proposal. The Hall of Famer has been out of the public eye ever since his third retirement in 2003. One of the last times the NBA world saw him was during the NBA 75 anniversary last year. His presence there came as a surprise to many of the legends too.
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Watch this story-??I Never Heard It From Michael Jordan?: Hurt By The Last Dance Betrayal, Isiah Thomas Still Seeks An Apology