Petty Michael Jordan Let His Rivalry with Isiah Thomas Get in Between Him and Magic Johnson in the 1980s

Michael Jordan and his personal distaste for the Detroit Pistons are well known. The legendary Bulls player was not fond of the team or its star player, Isiah Thomas. The biggest obstacle that Jordan faced on the journey to his first NBA title was the Detroit Pistons. Furthermore, MJ was not just plagued by the idea of defeating Isiah’s team, he disliked Thomas and the Pistons for a plethora of reasons. The rivalry between the two subsequently led to Jordan’s resentment of Magic Johnson for a short period of time.?

‘His Airness’ considered numerous incidents to be disrespectful on the 2-time NBA Champion’s part. Hence, he wasn?t exactly a fan of Isiah Thomas. Furthermore, Thomas?s friendship with Magic irked Jordan even more.

Michael Jordan and his resentment toward Magic?

The beef between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas is a never-ending one. One would think that after so many years, they would not care much, but that has never been the case. If one would dive deep into their rivalry, there are many layers that resulted in such deep resentment.

The legendary Chicago Bulls no. 23 was an unstoppable player, and he truly believed in himself. So it was quite natural for him to get pissed if others didn?t. In his rookie All-Star game, Jordan felt that he was locked out throughout the game. The behavior irked MJ, and Magic Johnson?s supposed friendship with Thomas didn?t help his relationship with Jordan.

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According to the book, Jordan Rules, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson had a rift due to the rivalry, mostly from MJ?s side. The Bulls legend felt betrayed by Johnson?s friendship with Thomas, despite him being aware of Thomas?s behavior toward MJ.?

Michael Jordan also refused to attend any of Johnson?s summer All-Star games in the 80s and always had a ?tame excuse? for all of them.

Magic and MJ have since repaired their relationship, with Johnson informing the Bulls legend about his illness before anyone. Magic Johnson?s unfortunate HIV diagnosis was a difficult time for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, which cut his legendary career short. Keeping MJ close in such a testing time said a lot about their friendship.

What do you think about Jordan and Johnson’s friendship? Let us know in the comments below.

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