The real story behind Michael Jordan’s enduring hatred for Pistons legend Isiah Thomas

Time has healed many of the feuds and hatreds of the past in the NBA, with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant reconciling, and so have Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, but not Michael Jordan.

Jordan's 'Last Dance' documentary on Netflix showed that he still had ill feelings towards one former player in particular. That man is Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas.

The ten-part documentary, mainly focused on Jordan, dove deep into his hatred for the 'Bad Boy' Detroit Pistons and their leader Isiah specifically, with Jordan saying: "There's no way you can convince me he wasn't an ***hole."

The documentary focuses on the Conference Finals incident in 1991, but what were the founding reasons why Michael Jordan hated Isiah Thomas so much?

For the start of the feud, you have to go back to 1985, a year Michael Jordan started to establish himself as the next best player, annoying Thomas, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.

He was selected into the all-star game in 1985, sharing the floor with Magic and Thomas. However, his first experience of the all-star game was sour, having only nine shots in the whole game.

Nine shots are nothing for Michael Jordan, leading to rumors that Thomas orchestrated a freeze-out, meaning 'don't let Jordan have the ball.'

According to andscape.com, Thomas said, "That never happened," at the 2001 all-star game, but former Chicago Bulls guard Brad Sellers believed there was a bigger reason why Thomas froze Jordan out of the game.

"The bigger issue was that Isiah was from Chicago, he worked to be one of the top players to represent that city, and Mike came in and eviscerated that."

The feud grew in the late 80s as Jordan and his Bulls team would face Detroit in the Conference Finals in 1989 and 1990. Jordan was coming off an MVP year in 1988, and the Pistons had the perfect plan to stop 'His Airness.'

Thomas was the leader of the Detroit Pistons that created the 'Jordan Rules.' A set of rules focused on being heavily physical on Jordan, such as hitting him to the ground when he was airborne and consistently hitting him with cheap shots during the game.

For Thomas and the Pistons, it worked, winning the championship in 89 and 90, further growing Jordan's resentment for Thomas and the Pistons franchise.

Jordan and the Bulls got their revenge in 1991, sweeping the Pistons 4-0, resulting in the Pistons leaving the floor before the game had finished.

Thomas and his Pistons team refused to shake Jordan and Bulls player's hands, leaving with 7.9 seconds on the clock, and Jordan said: "I hated them. That hate carries to this day."

The hate also carried to the 1992 Olympics, when Jordan reportedly said he wouldn't play in the 'Dream Team' if Thomas was selected. However, it wasn't just Jordan.

According to dailymail.co.uk, Jordan said: "Isiah Thomas wasn't hated by just Michael Jordan, he was hated by Larry Bird, Magic, and just about everybody on that Dream Team."

Thomas knew 'he met the criteria,' but Jordan was always going to be picked over him. He missed out on an Olympic medal, and in 2023, the hatred between them is still visible today.