Isiah Thomas effuses praise on memorable Michael Jordan rookie game, setting aside beef: "To experience them live was beyond"
Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas has seemingly changed his approach to his relationship (or lack thereof) with Michael Jordan. The two-time NBA champion has had issues with Jordan from their playing days, and he's gone on a crusade against the Chicago Bulls icon after comments on Thomas in the 2020 award-winning docuseries "The Last Dance".
Ever since that moment, Thomas has taken several shots at Jordan while demanding a public apology from the six-time NBA champion. That might have come to an end after Thomas reacted to an old video of Jordan going off against the Pistons during his rookie season.
"Some plays and dunks stand out more than others. Jordan's dunks on this night were all memorable and spectacularly good; to see them and experience them live was beyond," he tweeted.
The video shared by NBA Cobwebs shows a game played on Nov. 7 at Detroit. Michael Jordan scored 25 points in that game to lead the Bulls to a 122-118 win against a team that would become his biggest obstacle to play in the NBA Finals.
Isiah Thomas wasn't a slouch and responded with 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the home team.
The Bulls finished that season with a 38-44 record, clinching the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings, which gave them the chance to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. They lost 3-1, but Jordan introduced himself to the NBA world with his performances.
Isiah Thomas and the fourth-seeded Pistons didn't have a much longer run, as they swept the Nets in the first round but fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champions Boston Celtics in six games.
Isiah Thomas shaded Michael Jordan with Deion Sanders old video about greatest athletes
Before he sent out this tweet, Isiah Thomas seemingly took another dig at Michael Jordan on social media. He reposted a video of Deion Sanders talking about two-sport stars, in which he questioned Jordan's athletic ability. Instead, he named Bo Jackson the greatest athlete to shine in two different disciplines.
"Level of today's time, what Bo Jackson displayed was unbelievable. I mean, Jordan is like me, he couldn't hit the curveball, right? I'm still waiting on the curve. And Bo could," Sanders told Dan Patrick.
Thomas's "Bad Boy" Pistons had fiery playoff encounters with Jordan's Bulls. While Detroit won consecutive titles in 1989 and 1990, the Bulls responded with a sweep in 1991 and starting their own dynasty.
While getting swept in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, Thomas and the Pistons walked off the court before Game 4 ended without shaking the Bulls players' hands. That was another chapter in a strained relationship, and time will tell if they make amends and can have a cordial relationship at some point.