Isiah Thomas elucidates on origin of his beef with Michael Jordan: "I didn’t know anything about it until The Last Dance"

One of the greatest feuds in basketball history features Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas, who were known competitors in the late 1980s in the Eastern Conference.

Thomas recently shared that he had no prior clue about being in a feud against Jordan. The two-time NBA champion talked about it publicly and stated that he found out only after the documentary, ‘The Last Dance,’ was released.

"Let me reset the stage," Thomas said. "I didn't know we had a beef. I really didn't. And if you see me in that interview, I'm dressed in a three-piece suit, we did the interview right across the street of NBA TV and [Michael] Jordan and his producer called me themselves, I still got all the emails."

"Why was I so willing to do that? My nephew lived with Michael Jordan for five years when he first came to Chicago. My family, we all looked after him. We all hung out together. This beef that we supposedly had, or have. I didn’t know anything about it until The Last Dance."

Thomas even challenged the crowd to fact-check his claims and has shared that he hasn’t said anything negative about Jordan.

Thomas was part of the Detroit Pistons team that used a hard playing style, especially against MJ and that’s one of the many reasons why the former Chicago Bulls star hates the star point guard. But, according to Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated, the biggest reason for their fight was when Jordan refused to play for Team USA if the Pistons guard was part of the roster.

You might also be interested in reading this: “Will address it”: Larsa Pippen says she ‘moves on’ from critics months after claiming Michael Jordan ‘embarrassed’ her

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Doc Rivers stated that Isiah Thomas still hates Michael Jordan

Thomas has had inconsistencies with his claims in the past when it comes to his quarrel against Michael Jordan. Even former head coach Doc Rivers is aware that the former member of the “Bad Boy Pistons” still dislikes Jordan decades after they’ve retired.

"You listen to Isiah talk now, I'm like, 'Let it go,'" Doc said. "He still hasn't let it go. I don't remember the last time I heard Isiah Thomas say a good thing about Michael Jordan. It's hilarious."

Fans aren’t sure which to believe this time, as many have been as tired as Rivers when it comes to the dispute between Thomas and Jordan. Both players took the word rivalry to the next level and have been at each other’s necks long after retiring.