Isiah Thomas rekindles Michael Jordan beef with LeBron James praise

No debate rages quite as powerfully in NBA circles as the question of who the greatest of all time really is. It’s an entirely subjective conversation, but that doesn’t stop fans from comparing and contrasting common choices LeBron James and Michael Jordan on a near-daily basis.

One of Jordan’s greatest rivals has weighed in on the discourse with a take that’s certain to ruffle feathers among fans of several eras.

James and Jordan are the most common inclusions in debates about who the greatest player in NBA history is. Others are included among fans based on varying criteria, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell, but the average fan typically boils the conversation down to James and Jordan.

In an interview with Kory Woods of MLive.com, Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas offered his take on the GOAT debate by selecting James over Jordan as the greatest of all time.

“I think when you look at, like I say, he’s touched and he leads in almost every statistical category. He’s passed Kareem in scoring. I think he’s got the most playoff points. Not only that, when you look at the assist column, I know where I stand on the assist record. I think he’s passed me; I think he’s passed Magic on the assist record. I mean, so when you talk about passing, scoring, rebounding, we’ve never had a player in the NBA that has touched every statistical category and leads in some of these statistical categories that we’re talking about.”

Thomas continued, taking his praise for James a step further by discussing his placement from an all-time perspective.

“There’s never been another player like him. Now, everyone has their favorites, but if the numbers don’t lie, the numbers don’t lie. And he definitely passes the eye test. So to me, he’s the best that I’ve ever seen from a team standpoint and also as a basketball player.”

It’s a compelling argument in James’ favor, but it’s certain to sound the alarm among Jordan fans considering who the source of the comments is.

For those unfamiliar, the rivalry between Jordan and Thomas is one that spans decades and ranges far beyond the court. In terms of what happened during their playing careers, Thomas and the Pistons won back-to-back championships in 1988-89 and 1989-90.

During those legendary championship seasons, Detroit eliminated Jordan and the Chicago Bulls from the playoffs in the 1988 first round, 1989 Conference Semifinals, and 1990 Conference Finals.

Jordan and the Bulls ultimately cracked the code in 1991, when he led Chicago to a clean 4-0 sweep of the two-time defending NBA champions. Unfortunately, Thomas and the Pistons infamously chose not to shake hands with their opponents after the game—even walking off the court before it ended.

Compounded by the fact that Detroit’s strategy for defending Jordan bordered on intentionally injuring him, the bad blood may have influenced Team USA’s decision to omit Thomas from the Dream Team.

Fast forward to 2024 and everything Thomas says about Jordan tends to be taken with a grain of salt. That will likely be the case with his latest comments, even if James’ argument for being the greatest of all time is admittedly powerful.

Putting aside the subjective debates, however, Thomas is right to praise James for piecing together one of the greatest careers in professional sports history.

James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP, four-time regular season MVP, and record 20-time All-NBA honoree. He’s also the all-time leading scorer in Association history and ranks fourth all-time in total career assists.

Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, what’s undeniable is that James and Jordan were the defining stars of their respective eras. They elevated the standard for in-game brilliance and helped the Association grow off the court.

James or Jordan, we’re all blessed to have watched one or both of them play.