There are very few rivalries in the NBA that can match up to the level of Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas. Two of the greatest athletes of their time didn’t see eye to eye. In fact, their beef is still ongoing and although only one of them is active in the public eye, the tension is very apparent.
While the fans have enjoyed their rivalry over the years because it brought out the best in them, there are people who are now tired of the crossfire. Recently, an NBA veteran clowned Thomas for beating a dead horse.
Is ‘Michael Jordan versus Isiah Thomas’ still relevant?
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Regardless of their rivalry, Jordan and Thomas are regarded as two of the best to ever play basketball. Although Jordan’s achievements dwarfs that of Thomas, he cemented his legacy in the history of the game. The root of their rivalry dates back to the beginning of the 90s era. The 90s belonged to the Chicago Bulls who were led by MJ. However, the animosity comes from the fact that the Bulls snatched the Detroit Pistons era and went on to dominate the entire decade. Additionally, the two of them were extremely competitive and were often in each other’s crosshairs. Amidst the ongoing beef, Jordan famously kept Thomas out of the 1992 Dream Team.
Over the years, Jordan has kept a low profile in public and focuses on enjoying life and managing his businesses. However, Thomas has been in the media and often does interviews and podcasts. This has led to him trash-talking Jordan a lot in public and Doc Rivers seems to have had enough of it. Recently, the 64-year-old said, “You listen to Isiah talk now, I’m like, ‘Let it go.” Rivers also said, “I don’t remember the last time I heard Isiah Thomas say a good thing about Michael Jordan. It’s hilarious.”
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The Last Dance reignited their beef
The Last Dance docu-series gave their rivalry a second life. While the fans highly appreciated the show, Thomas took things too personally. The reason behind his anger from the series was the things that were said about him, on tape, by the man himself. Following the documentary, Thomas said, “This guy comes on television and he says that he hates me, and then he calls me an a**hole. And then I proceed to watch a whole documentary about him being an a**hole”.
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Thomas had said that he’d want a public apology from MJ because of this very public humiliation. What do you make of this legendary rivalry?
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