"The greatest player I've played with is Isiah Thomas" - Michael Jordan's former teammate picks his rival over him
Michael Jordan is often considered to be the greatest player of all time or the GOAT. However, Jordan's former teammate John Salley has called Isiah Thomas the greatest player he has ever played with.
On "Pardon My Take" podcast on Barstool Sports with Dan Katz and Eric Sollenberger, one of the discussed was Isiah not getting the credit he deserves as one of the greatest point guards ever. Salley said that there was propaganda against Thomas done by the Chicago Bulls:
"They hate him because he's short... They let everything else the propaganda that the Chicago Bulls put on Isiah Thomas. That was propaganda. They let everything else get in the way of his greatness."
The former "Bad Boy" added that Isiah Thomas is the greatest player he has ever played with despite teamming up with Michael Jordan in 1996. Salley noted that Thomas did what the other greats were doing even though he was undersized, which made him the greatest in his eyes. Salley said:
"I tell people, I said the greatest player I've ever played with is Isiah Thomas, and I have played with Michael. I have played with Kobe and Shaq. He's six foot, and he did everything everybody else was doing. And in the same amount of time that Steph Curry was playing, Isiah had better stats, but no one wants to mention it."
John Salley was drafted by the Detroit Pistons 11th overall in 1986, playing for the team till 1992. Salley won two NBA championships with Thomas and the Pistons. He played for the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors from 1992 to 1996 before joining the Chicago Bulls two months before the 1996 playoffs.
Salley went on to win an NBA title with Jordan and the Bulls that season. He then spent a short time in Greece before going on a three-year hiatus. Salley signed with the LA Lakers in 1999, winning his fourth NBA championship alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
John Salley believes Michael Jordan is not GOAT
In the same interview, Salley added that "His Airness" is not the greatest player of all time. Salley believes there should only be a greatest player of the decade, saying:
"The reason I say that Michael Jordan is not the greatest of all time is the same reason Michael says he's not the greatest of all time, because he didn't get to play against the other greats of all time."
John Salley was an awesome guest today https://t.co/GN9W5cF1Mo
Salley did acknowledge that Jordan was the greatest player of his generation in the 1990s, saying:
"You can be the greatest of that decade. So in the 90's, from 1991 to 1998, well from really 1988 to 1998, Michael Jordan was the best. Period, right?