These two NBA Hall of Famers haven’t played against each other since the 1990s, yet the beef between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas still exists, and Thomas wants Jordan to apologize to him publicly.
Former Detroit Pistons legend Thomas, affectionately known as “Zeke” during his playing days, appeared on Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green’s latest episode of The Draymond Green Show. During the conversation, Green asks Zeke if there is any way that the relationship with Jordan could be salvageable, to which the former Piston states an emphatic “no!”
“No. This dude got on national television, international television, and called me an a**hole,” Zeke responds. “Somebody who has been really good to him. Until he apologizes on international television, there is no conversation. You can not apologize and have a private dinner. When you embarrassed me publicly, and you didn’t mean it, say it publicly. If you meant it, let it stand. I am good with that.”
This isn’t the first time Thomas has talked about his beef with Jordan. He stated that he never knew that there was bad blood between him and the six-time NBA champion until he viewed the 2020 documentary series The Last Dance.
While speaking at the ForbesBlk summit in Atlanta last year on Nov. 6, Thomas told the audience about it.
“I didn’t know we had beef. I really didn’t,” Thomas said. “And if you see me in that interview, I’m dressed in a three-piece suit. We did the interview right across the street from NBA TV. Jordan and his producer called me themselves and said, ‘Hey, we want you to participate in the documentary. Michael admires you, so forth, and so on, can’t tell the story without you.'”
During the documentary, Jordan spoke about how Thomas and the Pistons played defense against him and the Chicago Bulls, where they instituted “The Jordan Rules.” The Pistons intentionally played Jordan more physically than other players. When the Bulls finally outplayed the Pistons in the 1991 playoffs to eliminate them, the rivalry was so intense that Thomas and the rest of the team stormed off the basketball court without shaking their hands.