Michael Jordan once wanted $350,000 more than rival Isiah Thomas to make movie appearance

Michael Jordan reportedly held a grudge against Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson and Mark Aguirre for the infamous freeze-out in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game. One of the things Jordan did was to outearn his rival for a cameo appearance in a movie called Heaven is a Playground.

According to a Curry Kirkpatrick report in Sports Illustrated in 1987, Jordan was not happy with Thomas, Johnson and Aguirre for starting the freeze-out. He exploded for 49 points on Thomas and the Detroit Pistons a few days later after the All-Star Game.

MJ's relationship with Magic Johnson improved, but it was Thomas who became his rival towards greatness. Kirkpatrick detailed how Jordan demanded to be paid seven more times than Thomas for a movie cameo.

"As for Thomas, when the producers of Heaven Is a Playground offered Jordan a cameo for $50,000, ProServ (MJ's agency) sniffed and told them to come back with a six-figure deal," Kirkpatrick wrote.

"They said they could get Thomas for 50 grand. ProServ said well, then, go get him. Eventually, Jordan signed for more than $400,000."

However, it should be noted that Michael Jordan ended up backing out of the Heaven is a Playground project in 1990. Jordan was replaced by Bo Kimble, who had a three-year NBA career with the LA Clippers and New York Knicks.

The film was released in 1991 but was a box office flop. The producers even sued Jordan for breach of contract, claiming that his backing out was the reason why the movie failed to make money. However, the jury found MJ not liable for any damages and was awarded $50,000 after he countersued the makers.

---

Isiah Thomas not ready to end beef with Michael Jordan

Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan (right)

The beef between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas was reignited after the release of The Last Dance documentary. Jordan initially praised Thomas for being one of the greatest players he went up against and even called him the second-greatest point guard ever.

However, Jordan also called his rival an a**hole for all the things that happened between them from the Dream Team fiasco to the "Bad Boys" Pistons days. These remarks reignited the beef, with Thomas demanding a public apology from MJ on the All The Smoke podcast earlier this year.

"You get on national television, and you call me an a**hole," Thomas said. "And then you said you hated me. 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."

​