Would Isiah Thomas have made the Dream Team different? Michael Jordan says yes

Michael Jordan has never hidden how complicated things were with Isiah Thomas.

Speaking in The Last Dance documentary, Jordan admitted the former Pistons star would have changed the dynamic of the 1992 Dream Team had he been included.

“The Dream Team, based on the environment and the camaraderie that happened on that team, it was the best harmony,” Jordan said. “Would Isiah have made a different feeling on that team? Yes.”

Thomas, who was one of the top point guards of his era, was left off the roster that went undefeated at the Barcelona Olympics. The group included Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and others, and went on to crush Croatia for the gold medal.

Even with the tension, Jordan gave Thomas his due.

“I respect Isiah Thomas’ talent,” he said. “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.”

Both players are in the Hall of Fame and were honored on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

At the 75th ceremony in Cleveland in 2022, they kept their distance. The rivalry that defined Bulls–Pistons in the late ’80s and early ’90s remains part of their story to this day.