Derrick Rose Reveals Why Isiah Thomas, And Not Michael Jordan, Is His GOAT

Most people have Michael Jordan or LeBron James as their GOAT. 

However, Derrick Rose doesn’t. 

During an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Rose said Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas is his GOAT. 

“I mean, my GOAT now is Isiah Thomas because he’s from Chicago,” Rose said. “The only guy who beat Magic [Johnson], Mike [Jordan], and [Larry] Bird all in their prime at 6-3. Chicago’s way of doing sh*t. I used to say MJ, but it wasn’t MJ. I said it because I was intrigued by his story and how he won. But I’m not a two-guard. I don’t score like him at all. So it was just me just admiring his story.”

Rose and Thomas were born and raised in Chicago. They are two of the best players to come out of the Windy City. 

Thomas and Jordan were heated rivals back in the day. They are not friends and likely never will be. 

In The Last Dance doc, Jordan said he hated Thomas. However, the Bulls icon did call the Pistons great the second-best point guard ever. 

“I respect Isiah Thomas’ talent,” Jordan said in The Last Dance doc. “To me, the best point guard of all time is Magic Johnson and right behind him is Isiah Thomas. No matter how much I hate him, I respect his game.”

The Bulls swept the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals after losing to their rivals in the playoffs for three straight years. Before Game 4 ended, Thomas and the Pistons walked off the court and didn’t shake the Bulls players’ hands.

Ever since then, it is believed Jordan lost whatever respect he had for Thomas.

Thomas finished his career with averages of 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.3 blocks with the Pistons. He made 12 All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams and won the 1990 Finals MVP Award.