" I think it scared the s**t out of the white male media" - Isiah Thomas feels his image was destroyed by journalists

Isiah Thomas is a superb basketball player who won back-to-back championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990. He was a 12x All-Star and Rookie of the Year in 1981-82, and despite being undersized, was one of the toughest and fiercest competitors in NBA history.

Despite his sterling credentials, most NBA fans do not put him on the same pedestal as some players with lesser accomplishments. For Thomas, how he is perceived was damaged by false narratives that were propagated by journalists who did not embrace African-Americans at the time.

In Jackie MacMullan’s Icons Club, the one-time Finals MVP shed light on how his legacy has been affected over the years by some members of the media:

“I think at that time, the media began, the things that we were talking about, as the Detroit Pistons team. I think it scared the shit out of the white male media who wanted to contain or keep their power base.”

Isiah Thomas’ legacy is somewhat tainted by his alleged dirty play and for being the instigator in several of the Detroit Pistons' dustups with different teams. The infamous “Bad Boys” wore down opponents with the kind of physicality that many described as beyond simply playing hard.

That trademark intimidation strategy seemingly reached its peak in Thomas’ battle with Michael Jordan and the then-upstart Chicago Bulls. The Pistons’ pummeling of Jordan and his crew rubbed most fans the wrong way, which is one of the biggest reasons why “Zeke” is hated by many to this day.

Blaming the white media for the way fans view his basketball greatness seems like a reach. Isiah Thomas has had various altercations in the NBA, not just with white players. While some black players kept mum, others called him out or used other means to get back at him.

Whatever the case may be, IT’s comments will likely add more fuel to the fire with respect to his NBA legacy.

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Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons suffered verbal abuse back then

Bill Laimbeer, Isiah Thomas and the rest of the Detroit Pistons were verbally abused in their heydays according to Thomas. [Photo: Sporting News]

Isiah Thomas, in the same podcast, also revealed the unspeakable verbal abuse that the Detroit Pistons suffered at the height of their basketball exploits. Vile names were hurled at them with “thugs” being a label in particular that Thomas vehemently disagreed with:

“I took such offense to that, coming from Chicago, the west side of Chicago. My mom being an activist, all the work that we were doing in Chicago and who I was, stepping onto the stage in sport and being hit, and pummeled with dehumanizing, racialized language that I was saying, ‘Hey, this ain't right,’ and the Pistons, we were saying, ‘This is not who we are’, these labels in this language that y'all are attaching that are using around us. It's not cool.”

The Hall-of-Fame point guard did not elaborate on who verbally abused them at the time. Regardless of how Thomas and his side played back then, there is simply no place for people who engage in verbal abuse in the game of basketball.

As the “thugs” reputation never subsided, the Detroit Pistons maximized that perception to reach the pinnacle of NBA success. It was in this setting that Isiah Thomas arguably never got the recognition he deserved.