“He Is Not Going to Be Part of the Team”: New Found Evidence Proves How Michael Jordan Put a Dent in Isiah Thomas’ Career

ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’ displayed Michael Jordan’s darker side. Out of all the controversies the docuseries highlighted, one of the most talked about was the Michael Jordan–Isiah Thomas feud. The hatred that the duo had for one another never had a cover-up, and it seems MJ was just as petty as perceived.

Recently, an unheard of evidence surfaced that might prove Jordan was absolutely at fault for what we may call, the worst incident in Isiah Thomas’ career: being left off the Dream Team.

How Michael Jordan did Isiah Thomas dirty

Even though Michael Jordan was a rookie when Isiah Thomas was at his peak in the career, the two stars shared a very unhealthy relationship.

According to John Salley, who played with the Pistons as well as the Bulls, the rivalry began when Thomas’ nephew was wearing a Jordan jersey. Thus began a consistent competition between the two, to be better than the other.

The community is well aware that Jordan wasn’t really excited about having Thomas on the 1992 Dream Team. Yet, no one ever had proof of the same. A newfound audio clip, however, reveals that Jordan did, in fact, influence Thomas’ place on the team.

Novelist and sportswriter Jack McCallum released the audio on ‘The Dream Team Tapes‘ podcast. The clip seems to confirm MJ contributed majorly for Thomas’ exclusion.

The tape comprises of Jordan, simply saying he would not play if Thomas were on the team. In the clip, MJ says,

“Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.’ He assured me. He said, ‘You know what? Chuck doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'”

How did the league respond to MJ’s stubbornness, you ask? Well, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, NBA players were going to the Olympics for the first time. Hence, the league had a lot on the line, other than just the medal.

‘The U.S. couldn’t send a team without Jordan.’ Zillgitt wrote. ‘He was a necessity.”

Zillgitt also mentioned that if His Airness didn’t want Thomas on the team, ‘it didn’t matter how many people were on Thomas’ side, Thomas wasn’t going.’

The 1992 Olympics Men’s Basketball team received the nickname of the ‘Dream Team’, because it was the first time the team had active NBA players. The team emerged victorious, bagging the gold medal. The media labeled the team as the greatest sports team ever to assemble.

Hence, even though Isiah Thomas remained a legend back home, being kept off the Dream Team was painful. It ended up increasing the hatred between Jordan and himself.

We do know Jordan for being a jerk and holding grudges. However, it seems he took it a tad bit too far with this stunt.