Isiah Thomas disputes Michael Jordan’s GOAT case
Every NBA fan knows that Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan they have a longstanding beef. It goes all the way back to the mid-1980s, when Jordan arrived in Thomas’ hometown of Chicago and Thomas was in Detroit.
Since then, they have fought their battles, and that bitterness continues to this day. Recently, Thomas presented his case why Jordan isn’t the GOAT, according to FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.
Basically, Thomas is saying that because Jordan isn’t the all-time leader in every statistical category, he can’t be the GOAT.
“I’m a historian of the game and I’m not a hater,” Thomas said. “When I talk about facts, people think it’s hate. In no sports category, when we talk about track, when we talk about tennis, when we talk about football, baseball, probably the best players or athletes in those sports, they hold world records. I know we’re talking about Jordan, but he doesn’t lead in any basketball statistical category. But then about him, and you’re the best argument in Kareem. LeBron, those guys lead in several statistical categories, but we say that someone others better, and I’m just giving you evidence.
Jordan is 5th on the all-time scoring list with 32,292 points. Meanwhile, LeBron James is the all-time leading scorer with 42,575 points and counting. Jordan has all-time PPG at 30.12.
The root cause of the feud between Isaiah Thomas and Michael Jordan
Late 1980s/early 1990s “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons he invented what became known as the “Jordan Rules. Their defensive strategy was to physically hit Jordan whenever he got to the basket.
Something that Thomas accused Jordan of complaining about.
Thus, the inflammation of the evil blood. When the Bulls swept the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons, led by Thomas, deliberately refused to shake the Bulls’ hand and returned to the locker room with time remaining on the clock.
Then, in 1992, Jordan reportedly played a role in keeping Thomas on the Dream Team. In addition, Jordan admitted his dislike for Thomas in the 2020 documentary The Last Dance.
2026-01-08 18:09:00
