NBA analyst debates Isiah Thomas’ & Michael Jordan’s feud: “Isiah can look him in the eye & say I got the better of you”

Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have a beef that's been going on for around 40 years. Fox Sports' Nick Wright has an interesting theory why Jordan and Thomas don't like each other. Thomas recently re-ignited the feud by demanding a public apology from Jordan.

On "First Things First," Wright shared his theory about why the feud between the two legends might not end. He reckons Jordan does not like the fact that Thomas was successful against him during their playing days.

"There's a reason Jordan has such a disgust for Isiah," Wright said. "Isiah is the only guy from his era that kind of has something over him. ... Isiah played him four times in the playoffs, won three of those series. Overall, the record's 12-10. Jordan got the last one, and they swept him that year."

Wright added:

"Isiah is the one guy that played in Jordan's prime and his era that Jordan knows and would never admit it. But Isiah can look him in the eye and say, 'I got the better of you.'"

Isiah Thomas had a lot of success against Michael Jordan before the Chicago Bulls dominated the 1990s. Thomas and the "Bad Boys" Pistons also had wins over Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson and the LA Lakers.

Jordan never defeated Bird and the Celtics, as those Bulls teams were terrible. They beat Johnson and the Lakers in 1991, but those were not the same "Showtime" Lakers that dominated the 1990s.

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Isiah Thomas wants public apology from Michael Jordan

Isiah Thomas at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game

The feud between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan has been quiet since "The Last Dance" documentary came out two years ago. However, Thomas seemed to have put the beef back in the spotlight after an interview with Cosmote TV (h/t Eurohoops) last month.

"Zeke" explained that he didn't like it when Jordan called him an a**hole on national television. Because of that, Thomas is not afraid to prolong their feud till he gets a public apology from "His Airness."

"When I was watching 'The Last Dance,' I'm seating there, and I'm watching it with my family," Thomas said. "I'm thinking everything is good, and then this guy comes on television. He says that he hates me, and then he calls me an a**hole."

He continued:

"And then I proceed to watch a whole documentary about him being an a**hole. I'm like wait a minute, time out. Until I get a public apology, this beef is gonna go on for a long long time, cause I'm from the west side of Chicago."

Thomas has been very vocal about his feud with Jordan, taking the time to take shots at the six-time NBA champion when given the chance. Meanwhile, Jordan has stayed fairly quiet about Thomas, only mentioning about Isiah during "The Last Dance."