4/9/26

Jay C. Brandriet

Have you ever seen Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan play on the same basketball team?

They shared the same brain.

“Zeke” would cater to MJ and set him up with style.

Mike would reward him by hauling in showtime passes with his big hands. He would cut hard and smart and finish with flair.

Both seemed hyper alert, intentional, and respectful of each other.

They had incredible chemistry.

Ironic.

On the surface it’s obvious why Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas wouldn’t be fishing buddies.

Their teams are connected forever as bitter rivals.

Isiah and others freezing out Michael (allegedly) in his rookie All-Star game.

Thomas and Laimbeer walking off early, without giving handshakes in 1991.

Jordan (allegedly) keeping Isiah off the Dream Team.

We get it.

Then every NBA fan watched “The Last Dance” on Netflix.

MJ called Isiah an “A–hole.”

He also said Thomas was “the second greatest point guard of all time.”

Nobody seems to remember the point guard thing.

ISIAH CAN’T HIDE THE BITTERNESS

“Zeke” has every right to be embarrassed by what Michael called him. This show was during covid, so the viewing stage was massive.

MJ could have gotten in some major shots without being so personal.

It was a social risk to say what he did.

That’s how Jordan feels and Thomas has been lashing out ever since.

I’m not talking about evolving opinions, like we all have.

It’s more like sabotage through storytelling.

Isiah has been trashing and rewriting who Michael Jordan was as a player.

To the point it’s awkward and unrealistic.

The wild things he’s said are too numerous and insincere to even mention.

It’s bad.

Isiah has always been a smooth talker, who captures NBA history beautifully.

Thomas was the perfect narrator when it came to explaining Jordan.

ISIAH WAS JORDAN’S BEST ADVOCATE

In recent years, he sat down with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes to discuss MJ.

“He was a fascinating watch. Every time Chicago played, Dumars and I would be on the phone. They were playing New Jersey, in Chicago. Joe and I are talking. Jordan caught it on the left wing, went through a couple dribbles, and then he took off on the left box. Dude floated all the way to the right box. He then laid it up on the other side. I swear to God, Joe and I are on the phone and for about 5 minutes it was just dead silence man. Then all the sudden it was like, “hey man, I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.” I mean that dude jumped from the left box, was up in the air, and went all the way over to the right box and laid it up.”

ENERGY

LeBron James has the best big picture energy right?

Check out this Isiah take from Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals, breaking down Mike’s gifts in this category.

Bob Costas was talking to Isiah about how well his “Bad Boy Pistons” had done against MJ in previous seasons.

Isiah responded, “the thing that amazes me about Michael Jordan compared to any other player in the league is his stamina and endurance. The thing that I wasn’t able to do, and Magic wasn’t able to do, is we had to succumb to injuries. We didn’t have the type of energy level and stamina he seems to possess.”

“Every single night, whether he’s playing against the best team in the league, or the worst team in the league, he has an energy level that is unmatched by any other player or athlete I have seen in professional sports. Whether it be basketball, football, baseball, track, or tennis. His energy level was so much greater than ours, that it seems night in and night out, he’s there performing at a level, we quite frankly couldn’t reach.”

After Zeke said this, Jordan won 4 more championships.

ISIAH WAS VERY CLEAR ON THIS BROADCAST

January 25th, 1998

Utah Jazz at Chicago Bulls.

Bob Costas and Isiah Thomas were the commentators for NBC.

Costas: “MJ gets Hornacek off his feet and swishes it home.”

Thomas: “The fundamentals. The simple fundamentals. The pump fake. Wait until he flies by, goes up and sticks the shot with perfect form. Michael Jordan has all the moves. Everyone concentrates on his great moves but look at the simple things. That’s what makes him a great player. It’s not the flashy things. It’s the little, simple things that he does. It’s his fundamental base, combined with his skill base, that makes him the greatest to ever play the game.”

Costas: “And you say that without hesitation?”

Thomas: “Without hesitation.”

Costas: “You weren’t always convinced. There was a time when you would not have given him that honor. Eventually he won you over right?”

Thomas: “When you’re playing against him you know you’re not going to come out and say that, because you have to compete with the guy. Now sitting here on the mic and being out of the game the last 3 or 4 years, and watching what he’s done, MJ is without question, the best I’ve ever seen play.”

Today, Isiah can pretend everyone was better than MJ.

I appreciate that Thomas has done all of these interviews and broadcasts over nearly five decades.

They do get recorded and saved.

Before Isiah hated MJ, he could have been his lawyer.

Jay C. Brandriet