John Salley reveals why Michael Jordan disliked Isiah Thomas

The feud between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas is one of the most well-known bad bloods in the sports world and it has been on-going for decades. John Salley, who had the chance to play with the two stars during his time in the NBA, shared a story as to how Jordan started to dislike the Detroit Pistons guard.

Back in the late 1980s, the Pistons were one of the best teams in the NBA, constantly being in the playoffs, eliminating Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. They were also winning titles, which made them the best team in the entire league at the time.

According to Salley, the MJ and IT weren't always in bad terms. However, Jordan's desire to win led him to viewing his rival in a different way, allowing him to beat Thomas and the rest of the Pistons' Bad Boys.

"Isiah and Michael were hella cool. When they were doing events, they were hella cool." Salley recalled. "And then us beating them, literally two times, coming back Michael had to realize, 'I have to dislike this guy in order to beat him. I can't be cool with him.'"

Salley also said that Phil Jackson, who was the coach of the Bulls, was one of the first people to label Detroit's team as "thugs."

"It wasn't just Michael. Phil Jackson, is the first interview calling us thugs... He came in and said, 'These guys are thugs, they're not good for the NBA, their style of basketball shouldn't be allowed.' Even though when he played for the Knicks, was put in to elbow people. If he doesn't say that, then the NBA can't see it and the referees don't see it. Now, the referees had to look at the game different."

Everything that happened between Jordan and Thomas played a huge part in their feud.

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Will we ever see Michael Jordan apologize to Isiah Thomas?

2022 NBA All-Star Game

A few years after Michael Jordan's "The Last Dance" was released, Thomas has made it known that he wasn't happy with how he was portrayed in the documentary. With that said, he now wants the Bulls legend to apologize publicly to him, which hints at a chance of ending their feud.

"You got on national television, and you called me an assh--e, and then you said you hated me," said the Pistons legend. "You said that on national television. Now, if you didn't mean it, get on national television and apologize for it. Now if you meant it, let it ride as it is."

Fans aren't sure if Jordan will do such a thing. However, Thomas is determined to end their beef and move on with their lives.