“You called me an a**hole!” Isiah Thomas DEMANDS a public apology from Michael Jordan for his ‘insensitive’ comments

Pistons legend expresses his disappointment about MJ's comments concerning him after all these years.


“You called me an a**hole!” Isiah Thomas DEMANDS a public apology from Michael Jordan for his ‘insensitive’ comments

Hailed as one of the NBA’s greatest players in history, Michael Jordan has the respect of the entire NBA fraternity and beyond. He is an icon of the sport for his historic achievements with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan, above everything else, is known for winning six NBA titles with the Bulls between 1991 and 1998, claiming the Finals MVP honor in all six.

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A competitive athlete’s popularity and influence frequently lead to natural feuds. A dispute with former Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas was a common occurrence that Jordan had to deal with. A feud that the Bulls superstar publicly spoke about in the Netflix documentary ‘The Last Dance’. While MJ openly expressed his views, his comments were not appreciated by Thomas.

The Pistons legend went on record to speak about how he expects a public apology from Jordan. His reason stands simple; a public criticism must have a public apology. “Anywhere, anytime publicly you get on television and you call me an a**hole and then you say you hated me. Now if you don’t mean it, get on national television and apologise for it,” he said.

Thomas also voiced his dissatisfaction with the idea of a private apology for a public statement.“Don’t call me behind the scenes, apologise, ask your friends to apologise,” he added.

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Thomas also spoke about how he is more than open to having a conversation. “It ain’t a person in this United States of America that I’m not willing to sit down and have a conversation with,” he said. “if you’re honest and you upright own your square, I’m willing to deal with you.” He also mentioned how the comments made against him were acceptable if they were made in all honesty. “If you meant it, let it ride as it is,” he said.

Related: “I got ego too!” Charles Barkley REIGNITES age-old feud with Michael Jordan by calling him a ‘jerk’

When and Why did the Jordan-Thomas feud begin?

Michael Jordan Isiah Thomas GettyImages 117162738

Amidst all the tension between the two legends, it might be necessary to look back at where the tensions started and began to escalate. Upon Jordan’s arrival to the NBA in 1984, Thomas and his teammates at Detroit were called the ‘Bad Boys.’ The Pistons were noted for their aggressive approach to the game, and they dominated the NBA’s Eastern Conference. That was the ideal setting for a heated showdown with Jordan, who was known for his fierce competitiveness. 

The Bulls and Pistons were widely regarded as rivals in the years that followed.   The Pistons, however, were first to draw blood by crushing the Bulls’ hopes for an NBA championship in 1988, 1989, and 1990.

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Three years of consecutive postseason defeats against the Pistons was met with a spirited counteroffensive in 1991 when the Bulls overcame them for the first time. This was the infamous playoff series in which the Pistons decided to walk out before the time ran out, making MJ feel disrespected.

In the year that followed, the tensions between the two guards from each team escalated. It was aggravated by allegations on Jordan of deliberately keeping Thomas out of the 1992 Dream Team, allegations that he denied. As the Bulls went on to make history in the 90s, the rivalry between the two faded over time. Only to be sparked by Zeke’s recent dissatisfaction with MJ’s comments about him.

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