Photo Credit: AP Photo/Fred Jewell
Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas experienced a ruthless competition against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls during the late 1980s and 1990s, when the Pistons eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs for three straight years (1988, 1989, and 1990).
The Bad Boys Pistons were an obstacle that Jordan couldn’t clear at first. The heated matchups between Isiah and Jordan eventually formed a bitter atmosphere between the two, that still lasts today.
Their rivalry peaked when the Bulls finally got the upper hand in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals and Isiah Thomas and his teammates left the court before time expired, without a handshake or any congratulating gesture.
A year later, Jordan then helped Magic Johnson and other teammates to keep Isiah Thomas off the 1992 Dream Team, after Thomas had feuds with many players.
Ever since back then, Thomas has been collecting numerous salty statements towards Jordan, and recently, he once again doubled down on a previous statement of his by saying that LeBron James and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar are the greatest basketball players of all-time.
Additionally to their beef, Zeke was not pleased with how his relationship with Jordan was portrayed in ‘The Last Dance’, three years ago, and has come after Jordan for it, time and time again.
This led to Isiah Thomas recently demanding a public apology from Jordan, if the two were ever to bury the hatchet again. But according to Charles Oakley, this won’t happen… ever! Oakley said Jordan has no intentions of being friends with Thomas, and shared a different theory on why Isiah is so mad at Jordan.
“Michael does not want to be your friend, Isiah. For the fifth time, he does not want to be your friend! Stay on ESPN, keep talking on TNT. Now you’re trying to say everybody’s better than Mike. It’s OK! You are not better than Mike. He came to your city and took your city. That’s why you’re really mad. He took over Chicago.”
Charles Oakley calls out Isiah Thomas for continuing to discuss Michael Jordan
“He came in your city and took your city. That’s why you’re really mad. He took over Chicago” 🥶
(h/t @ThePatrickPryor / via @shobasketball )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 4, 2023
As expected, Isiah Thomas saw the video of Oakley, and immediately fired back on Twitter.
“I remember us kicking your ass a lot, some one please check my record vs any team he played on! Sit down be Humble.”
I remember us kicking your ass a lot, some one please check my record vs any team he played on! Sit down be Humble https://t.co/1DmGKQe2Il
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) April 6, 2023
