Isiah Thomas Makes Peculiar Claim About Michael Jordan


Scott Olson/Getty Images


Isiah Thomas wasn’t giving too much thought to Michael Jordan during the 80s.

Thanks to “The Last Dance,” Michael Jordan’s rivalry with Isiah Thomas has been well-documented. Thomas played for the Bad Boy Pistons who always seemed to get in Jordan’s way whenever he went for a championship. Thomas was able to win two titles before Jordan went on his infamous first three-peat although to this day, there still seems to be quite a bit of tension between the two.

During an appearance on FS1’s Speak For Yourself, Thomas spoke about his rivalries and made the bizarre claim that he never felt like MJ was his real competition. As he explains, he was more concerned about the Celtics and Lakers than he ever was about the Bulls.

“When we were all young and healthy – from 84 to 90 – the numbers speak for themselves. He wasn’t really my competition. My competition was Bird and Magic, trying to catch the Celtics, trying to catch the Lakers. Chicago at that time, and Jordan at that time, from 84 to 90, before my wrist surgery, he just – that wasn’t my competition,” Thomas said.

These comments seem pretty bizarre when you consider just how much his team used to bully Jordan on the court. It’s clear the Pistons saw MJ as a threat but all these years later, he refuses to admit it.

If there is one thing for certain from “The Last Dance,” it’s that MJ and Thomas will never reconcile.


Isiah Thomas wasn’t giving too much thought to Michael Jordan during the 80s.

Thanks to “The Last Dance,” Michael Jordan’s rivalry with Isiah Thomas has been well-documented. Thomas played for the Bad Boy Pistons who always seemed to get in Jordan’s way whenever he went for a championship. Thomas was able to win two titles before Jordan went on his infamous first three-peat although to this day, there still seems to be quite a bit of tension between the two.

During an appearance on FS1’s Speak For Yourself, Thomas spoke about his rivalries and made the bizarre claim that he never felt like MJ was his real competition. As he explains, he was more concerned about the Celtics and Lakers than he ever was about the Bulls.

“When we were all young and healthy – from 84 to 90 – the numbers speak for themselves. He wasn’t really my competition. My competition was Bird and Magic, trying to catch the Celtics, trying to catch the Lakers. Chicago at that time, and Jordan at that time, from 84 to 90, before my wrist surgery, he just – that wasn’t my competition,” Thomas said.

These comments seem pretty bizarre when you consider just how much his team used to bully Jordan on the court. It’s clear the Pistons saw MJ as a threat but all these years later, he refuses to admit it.

If there is one thing for certain from “The Last Dance,” it’s that MJ and Thomas will never reconcile.