Isiah Thomas, Despite Being in Awe of Michael Jordan?s Money, Downplays Him with Major LeBron James and Kevin Durant Claim: ?They Ain?t Get No Credit for It?

Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan shared a fierce rivalry that was quite lucrative for the NBA in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The on-court battle between the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons and the Bulls during the period is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in league history. Notably, Thomas’ Pistons knocked Jordan’s Bulls out of the playoffs three times before a championship finally came to Chicago in 1991. Recently, Thomas downplayed Jordan’s contributions to the NBA’s marketability with a massive Lebron James and Kevin Durant claim, despite being in awe of the Bulls legend.

Isiah Thomas recently appeared on The Pivot Podcast, hosted by Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor, and Ryan Clark. The Detroit Pistons legend talked about his rivalry with MJ, claiming that the NBA changed the rules so the Bulls legend could win a championship. At the same time, the two-time NBA champ also praised Jordan for generating basketball-related income that led the league to new financial milestones. However, Thomas ended up highlighting the contributions of modern stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry at the expense of his contemporaries, including MJ.

Thomas downplays MJ’s contributions with a claim about LeBron James & KD

In a recent interview with The Pivot Podcast, Isiah Thomas admitted that Michael Jordan helped the NBA make a lot of money. However, he also pointed out that there were other players who have been exponentially more lucrative for the league. He suggested that just like Jordan, LeBron James also contributed massively to the league’s financial gains. Moreover, Thomas was not sure if any player would earn the same amount of money that LeBron James had made during his NBA career.

Further, Thomas pointed out that the NBA did not give enough credit to players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The 12-time All-Star felt that making nearly $40 million annually was a unique feat. Looking back at the legacy of James and KD, Thomas reckoned that the league did not give them enough credit.

Moreover, Isiah Thomas stated, “But when LeBron James and Kevin Durant and all of them walk out the door and you look back at what they just did, compared to what my generation did. Man, these guys have taken it to a place that none of us could have ever imagined. And they ain’t get no credit for it.”

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He added that when people would look back at the contribution of stars like LeBron, KD, and Stephen Curry after 15 years, they would understand how crucial they were for the league. Despite admitting Jordan and his other peers’ contributions, Thomas placed LeBron James, KD, Curry and other modern stars at a much higher pedestal.

Isiah Thomas speaks on Michael Jordan’s impact on the league

During the podcast,? co-host Channing Crowder pointed out that the league benefitted greatly with Michael Jordan taking center stage, in terms of business. Isiah Thomas responded by praising the six-time NBA champ, saying, “What Michael did for the NBA, hey man, we all still eating off of that.”

Thomas was also a former president of the players association. He shared that the players received 53% of the NBA gross profit back in the day. The Pistons veteran also suggested that the league lacked basketball-related income options before MJ’s deal with Nike. Moreover, Thomas also reckoned that Jordan took the league to a level that no other player of his time could.

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Thus, Thomas was left in awe of Jordan’s business brilliance which greatly benefitted the league and its players. However, he still felt that what LeBron and KD had achieved financially was bigger than the similar feats of his generation.