Michael Jordan’s feud with Isiah Thomas has lasted for more than two decades. It might have started from the infamous alleged freeze-out in the 1985 All-Star game. It escalated further when the Pistons gave a tough time to Jordan and the Bulls, ultimately with the latter taking the win. Since then, there hasn’t been much change about their rivalry. However, the beef between the two surely brought a major change in one of the NBA traditions that didn’t exist during the time of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
What is that tradition, and how did it happen? Back in the Pistons’ sweep of the Bulls in 1991, the Bad Boys infamously walked off the court before the buzzer sounded. The Bulls, including MJ, were clearly upset with how the Pistons left without shaking hands. That caused a lot of chatter among the fans, with the media elevating it. Years later, Thomas once again shared his take on how this incident ushered in a new tradition.
Thomas recalled how shaking hands wasn’t a tradition back in the ’80s. He mentioned that opponents indeed shook hands, but that used to be away from the media or usually in locker rooms, where they would wish each other luck. Opponents would privately greet each other and that was before 1991. This wasn’t a mandatory tradition. He also claimed that the famous rivals, Johnson and Bird, might never have shaken hands after one defeated the other.
Speaking in a new episode of Come and Talk 2 Me, he said, “Up until 1991 when the Detroit Pistons got swept by the Chicago Bulls, nobody expected a handshake. After 1991, and they said Isiah didn’t shake Michael Jordan’s hand, and Michael Jordan was like, ‘Oh, Isiah didn’t shake my hand,’ and they were crying about not getting their hand shook. That’s when everybody started, after 1991, shaking hands.”
And following this incident, it became a norm that the players would shake hands or congratulated their opponents. And yes it would be after one team defeated the other and that will be in front of the fans and cameras which was supposed to set a good example of sportsmanship.
This incident was also mentioned in The Last Dance documentary. There were several other instances that fanned the fire of their rivalry. The famous Jordan Rules incorporated by the Pistons to stop MJ and his subsequent battle to break through it was one such example. And years before that, the fire was sparked when Thomas had allegedly stopped MJ in 1985.
This was rookie Jordan’s first All-Star event. Coming from UNC, MJ was quite popular. However, the elite players wanted to show him that he had to earn his place. It was reportedly Thomas and Johnson who had planned and decided not to pass the ball to the rookie. It was tough for Jordan to adjust.
Jordan scored just 7 points and was clearly not too pleased with the gesture. Soon after the event, Michael Jordan took his revenge on Thomas. In the next game against the Detroit Pistons, MJ dropped a massive 49 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists to lead the Chicago Bulls to victory.
Both Johnson and Thomas have denied the claims. Speaking on Hoop du Jour podcast, Thomas said, “It’s truthful that he lit us up for 49. Him thinking he was froze out is bulls–t. He and I were not at the level that we could talk to (Larry) Bird, (Kevin) McHale, Moses (Malone), Dr. J (Julius Erving), Sidney Moncrief. We were way down.”
Jordan explained that he was too young to understand what was happening. However, by that time, he had already taken his revenge. This rivalry continues to this day. In a conversation with Jackie MacMullan, he said, “I didn’t really know, I was too immature at the time to even realize it was happening and then I just kept trying to become the best basketball player I could be, and then all the other stuff just kind of took a life of its own.” Do you think Thomas is right?