Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, Who Gave Michael Jordan and the Bulls a Nightmare in the 80s, Believes Scottie Pippen Was Chicago’s Best Defender

Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have made it clear that they aren’t too fond of each other. As a result of the Detroit Pistons-Chicago Bulls rivalry, bitter feelings have lingered. Moreover, both stars have not shied away to talk about their opinions, be it about their 30-plus year feud or other NBA players they support.

Recently, Thomas spoke about LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers star might be the most dominant NBA player. Though the reference was to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring title, fans on Twitter connected Thomas’ statement to Jordan.

Read More: ?When He Passes Kareem in Scoring, You Have to Anoint LeBron James as the GOAT?: Isiah Thomas Makes Brutal Michael Jordan Admission

Of course, Thomas could not let this go unanswered.

Isiah Thomas picks Scottie Pippen over Michael Jordan as the Bulls’ best defender

As per Thomas ? and other fans ? James will be the GOAT once he passes Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list.

However, a few users disregarded the argument. For Jordan and Chicago Bulls fans, his six-for-six record in the Finals still prevails over James. Furthermore, they believed the opinion was based on their feud, and because Jordan continues to hate the ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons.

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The 60-year-old was quick to dismiss the fan, who believed Thomas was not accepting the facts. Thomas added that for him, Pippen was the best defender for the Bulls.

Fans seemed to agree and disagree. While some believed Thomas was dropping facts, some still believed Jordan was better. Overall, Pippen made the NBA All-Defensive teams ten times, while Jordan made it to the team nine times. Out of those 10, eight were NBA All-Defensive First Team selections.

A small part of fans also wished Thomas and Jordan would make up. After all, it has been around three decades’ worth of hostility between the two.

It began during the 1985 NBA All-Star Game and only ended up growing by the times the Pistons lost during the 1991 Eastern Conference. The Pistons left court without shaking hands. To this date, no one, including Jordan or the fans, seems to have forgotten.

To take things up a notch, Thomas ? one of the best point guards ? was left of the 1992 Olympics’ Dream Team. Rumors blamed Jordan, who did not want to play with Thomas. This rivalry was brought up again during the last dance, where Jordan revealed that he continues to hate the Pistons. ?That hate carries to this day,”?Jordan said.

Not the first time Thomas supported James

Interestingly, this is not the first time Thomas spoke about James as the GOAT. “LeBron is a genius-type basketball mind, and that?s why I refer to him as the Einstein of basketball,” Thomas said in a 2020 SI interview. He highlighted the fact that James played straight out of high school, and how he admired James for always staying on top of the game.

Having said that, the Michael Jordan-LeBron James GOAT debate is endless. Though varied opinions and stats paint a convincing picture, no one can deny the influence either of the two has had on basketball.

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The same could be said for Pippen’s role with the Bulls ? which was just as crucial to winning the titles.

Do you agree with Thomas? Let us know.