It has been decades since Michael Jordan last laced up for the Bulls, but somehow, his name still finds its way to controversy. His influence on the game remains unmatched, but that power isn’t just about his six rings, his scoring titles, or his dominance over an entire era, it also extends into how basketball history is told. The latest example? HBO struggling to get its Celtics City documentary off the ground, and Jordan’s fingerprints are all over the mess.

The issue is not just about Jordan himself appearing in the documentary. Instead, it is about the ripple effects of his long-standing beef with one of his biggest rivals. And who is at the heart of this debacle? None other than Isiah Thomas. The former Detroit Pistons star, whose feud with Jordan has only intensified in recent years, has reportedly opted out of participating in the highly-anticipated documentary.

Isaiah Thomas spoke on the matter while conversing with @SiriusXMNBA, which was shared on X, Isaiah said, “I decided not to do the Boston documentary because of what Jordan and the Last Dance did. They totally set me up and blindsided me…and, uh, you know, I wasn’t gonna get fooled twice. So, I just decided not to participate in the documentary and be able to talk about it. But I wasn’t going to go on film and sit there, and potentially be set up again,” expressing disdain over the fiasco.

While many would argue that Isiah’s absence shouldn’t derail an entire production, his role in the Celtics-Pistons-Bulls battles was absolutely crucial. Without his insights, Celtics City risks telling an incomplete story, one that could lean heavily in favor of other perspectives, much like The Last Dance did. And that’s precisely what Thomas seems to be avoiding.

Michael Jordan and The Last Dance Fallout: Why Isiah Wants No Part in Celtics City

 Isiah Thomas is not exactly eager to sit down for another documentary, and who can blame him? The Last Dance saga left him feeling like a villain, with Jordan pulling no punches in calling him an “a**hole” on screen. The infamous 1991 Pistons walk-off, where Detroit left the court without shaking hands with the Bulls, was once again put under the microscope, with Jordan and the Bulls painted as righteous victors while Thomas and company were cast as sore losers.

But the saga did not stop there. The Dream Team drama resurfaced, with Jordan evidently denying that he personally had Thomas blackballed from the 1992 Olympic squad. Of course, most NBA fans are still under the impression that Jordan made sure Isiah was left off, especially considering the strained relationships Thomas had with other stars like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Isiah, feeling burned by how The Last Dance portrayed him, is not interested in another sit-down where he might just be set up again. And with him refusing to be a part of Celtics City, HBO is struggling to find a way to present the full story without one of the key figures in the Celtics-Pistons-Bulls triangle.

With Isiah now wary of being dragged into another biased retelling, the Celtics City documentary is left with a glaring hole in its perspective. And without Thomas’s insights, especially regarding Detroit’s wars with both Boston and Chicago, HBO is finding it hard to complete its vision. That means delays, production issues, and mounting frustrations behind the scenes.