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Isiah Thomas, who was not chosen to play for the 1992 Dream Team, was one of the biggest storylines in basketball heading to the Barcelona Olympics. Thomas’ resume was better than some of the names on the squad that would be considered by many to be the greatest in basketball history.
In an episode of the “All The Smoke” podcast, Thomas had this to say about the experience:
(3:35 mark)
“I didn’t make the team. That was the first time that I didn’t make a team in my entire life. I had never felt the sting of getting cut. … Did that sting, did that hurt? Absolutely! Did I want to be on that team? 100%!
“I’m from the West side of Chicago so it’s like, ‘Hey, you didn’t make it. What you gonna do? You can cry about it or you can move on with your life.’ I kept moving on. I watched every game and I rooted for the USA to win.
“I didn’t know why I didn’t make it, but do I feel like I should have been on it? Absolutely. But let me say this. Me not making it, has given me more pop than if I would have made it!”
Why Isiah Thomas wasn’t selected to be on the Dream Team has usually been attributed to his feud with Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan. “His Airness” was the face of basketball at the time.
The NBA sent pro players for the first time to compete in the Olympics. The late Commissioner David Stern wanted to show Team USA’s best and most popular players.
The NBA simply had to bring Michael Jordan to Barcelona. And if MJ didn’t want Thomas to be on the team, as reported by Jack McCallum in his book, “The Dream Team,” IT wasn’t going.
Isiah Thomas wasn’t also very popular with several members of the team. He didn’t see eye to eye with Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone. His relationship with one of his closest friends, Magic Johnson, had also soured in the early '90s.
In Jackie MacMullan’s book, “The Game Was Ours,” the LA Lakers great had this to say about why Thomas was cut:
“Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics. Nobody on that team wanted to play with him.”
Isiah Thomas claims the Detroit Pistons had rules for opposing superstars and not just for Michael Jordan
The Detroit Pistons’ “Bad Boys” era earned a reputation, unfairly or not, for being a brutally physical, if not dirty team. They were led by Isiah Thomas, who was reportedly behind many of the Pistons’ several questionable acts.
Part of what made them famous or infamous was the so-called “Jordan Rules.” While most fans thought they were specially designed for just one person, those rules weren’t exclusive to the Chicago Bulls’ scoring machine.
The legendary Chuck Daly tweaked the plan depending on who they were facing and the superstars they will be guarding:
(5:45 mark)
“It’s pretty simple. We have rules for everybody. We were a disciplined team. We had rules and we followed rules, we followed orders. … We have rules for Magic, we have rules for Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], we have rules for [Larry] Bird.
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan have long since retired. Their feud, however, remains smoldering hot to this day.
You may also like to read: "Jordan comes on television, calls me an a**hole and then says he hates me" - Isiah Thomas reveals he was caught off guard by Michael Jordan's comments on "The Last Dance"
