Princewill Pius
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan had no love lost between them, particularly after the Chicago Bulls beat the reigning Detroit Pistons in the 1991 NBA championships in a clean sweep (per CBS Sports).
Prior to the 1992 Olympics, it was decided that professional players could participate for the first time in history. That year’s team — aka “The Dream Team” — was built from the NBA’s best, including Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, but as Fox Sports reports, Pistons superstar Thomas was famously left off the roster. Rumors circulated that it was Jordan’s doing; that M.J. had requested Thomas be left off the squad.
The Last Dance documentary brought up the Olympic controversy. Jordan claimed in the miniseries (per CBS Sports) that he was contacted by Selection Committee Chairman Rod Thorn before the Summer Games: “Rod Thorn calls me and says, ‘We would love for you to be on the Dream Team.’ I say, ‘Who’s all playing?’ He says, ‘What does that mean?’ I say, ‘Who’s all playing?’ He says, ‘Well, the guy you’re talking about or you’re thinking about, he’s not going to be playing.'”
In May 2020, Thorn insisted nothing shady had transpired involving Jordan, Thomas, and the Olympic team. “Isiah’s name never came up during that conversation,” Thorn told ESPN.
We may never know for sure, but it’s clear that this rivalry remains a hot topic to this day!
Written by: Nicki
