Isiah Thomas Apologizes To Detroit For Infamous Pistons Walk-Off


Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella


Isiah Thomas had a lot to say about the infamous Pistons walk-off that was highlighted on “The Last Dance.”

Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons had a pretty negative reputation around the NBA during the late 80s and early 90s. For those who don’t know, this Pistons team played a lot like the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s. The Flyers were a hockey team known for using fighting and physicality as a way to win games and the Pistons translated that style onto a basketball court. 

During last night’s episode of “The Last Dance,” we got to see a series between the Chicago Bulls and Pistons in which MJ swept Thomas is four-straight. In the decisive game, Thomas and his teammates infamously walked off the court without shaking hands which led to a lot of criticism. Almost 30 years later, Thomas and his Pistons are still made fun of for their actions that night and today on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Thomas apologized for all of it.

“The fact that I have to sit here today — and Jalen (Rose), Chris Webber, Steve Smith, who I work with — the hurt that those guys feel for me, having to be in this moment. I apologize to them in Detroit for all of us in this moment,” Thomas explained.

While the apology must certainly be nice to hear, we’re sure Michael Jordan would prefer to get the apology directed at himself and in-person to boot. Jordan seemed pretty upset with Thomas in the documentary and all of these years later, it’s obvious that bad blood still exists between the two.


Isiah Thomas had a lot to say about the infamous Pistons walk-off that was highlighted on “The Last Dance.”

Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons had a pretty negative reputation around the NBA during the late 80s and early 90s. For those who don’t know, this Pistons team played a lot like the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s. The Flyers were a hockey team known for using fighting and physicality as a way to win games and the Pistons translated that style onto a basketball court. 

During last night’s episode of “The Last Dance,” we got to see a series between the Chicago Bulls and Pistons in which MJ swept Thomas is four-straight. In the decisive game, Thomas and his teammates infamously walked off the court without shaking hands which led to a lot of criticism. Almost 30 years later, Thomas and his Pistons are still made fun of for their actions that night and today on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Thomas apologized for all of it.

“The fact that I have to sit here today — and Jalen (Rose), Chris Webber, Steve Smith, who I work with — the hurt that those guys feel for me, having to be in this moment. I apologize to them in Detroit for all of us in this moment,” Thomas explained.

While the apology must certainly be nice to hear, we’re sure Michael Jordan would prefer to get the apology directed at himself and in-person to boot. Jordan seemed pretty upset with Thomas in the documentary and all of these years later, it’s obvious that bad blood still exists between the two.