“He figured it was some trickery involved … let’s it put it this way, he hates Scottie Pippen” - Shaquille O'Neal on talking to Isiah Thomas about his 'Dream Team' snub
Shaquille O'Neal and Isiah Thomas were two of the biggest snubs for the 1992 Team USA "Dream Team" for the Olympics. Christian Laettner was picked over O'Neal, while some members of the 12-man roster allegedly didn't want to play with Thomas.
In an episode of The Ringer's 'Icons Club' podcast, Jackie MacMullan told stories about the "Dream Team." One of the topics included the Isiah Thomas snub, and O'Neal believes a few people wanted no part of the Detroit Pistons legend. He also added that Thomas does not like Scottie Pippen, saying:
"He thinks, I don't want to repeat what he said, but he figured it was some trickery involved in that. Couple people didn't want him... Let's put it this way, he hates Scottie Pippen."
The Dream Team was the greatest collection of basketball talent ever, but the team symbolized much more.
Their dominance in the ’92 Olympics transformed basketball into a global phenomenon.
This is #IconsClub with Jackie MacMullan: open.spotify.com/episode/2R6vPY…
It's well documented that Thomas was not friends with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the Chicago Bulls, both on and off the court. There was real animosity between them, and it still continues to this day. Jordan was critical of his rival in "The Last Dance," and Thomas always took shots at Jordan whenever he could.
As for Pippen, Thomas blasted him in one of the episodes of "Open Court" in the early 2010s. "Zeke" said that he does not mind if Jordan doesn't want to play with him, but Pippen has no right to say that.
"I don't mind Michael Jordan saying, 'I didn't want Isiah on the Dream Team.' I don’t mind if Larry Bird said, 'I don't want Isiah to be on the Dream Team.' But if Scottie Pippen said, I don't want Isiah on the Dream Team?' Man, come on. You can't say nothing," Thomas said.
Shaquille O'Neal on not making 'Dream Team'
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most physically dominating players in the history of the sport. He dominated opposing bigs in college, so it was quite a surprise when he was snubbed in the "Dream Team" in favor of Christian Laettner.
In a radio interview in 2012, O'Neal said that he was upset for not getting picked in the "Dream Team." However, that experience led him to become an even better player. At the end of the day, O'Neal became an all-time great, while Laettner only had a solid NBA career.
"I was pissed off. I was jealous. But then I had to come to the realization that I was a more explosive, more powerful player, but Christian Laettner was a little bit more fundamentally sound than I was. Plus he stayed all four years and graduated... I just think it helped me grow as a player," O'Neal said.
Shaquille O'Neal did have his moment with Team USA as part of "Dream Team 2" that won the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He played all eight games, averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, while shooting 62.0%.