"I got Magic in my phone, I got Bird in my phone" - Isiah Thomas claims he wasn't aware of Michael Jordan's hate towards him until 'Last Dance'

The Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas saga just never gets old. Despite retiring from the NBA decades ago, there are still apparently fresh wounds that refuse to heal completely over time. The release of the Last Dance was a new jumping point from where both legends have opened up previously unsaid words.

In an episode of The Point Forward, a podcast between Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, Isiah Thomas was the featured guest. Among the things they discussed was Thomas’ exclusion from the original Dream Team and Michael Jordan.

Here’s what the former Detroit Pistons superstar had to say about why he was supposedly not chosen for the Dream Team:

“And this narrative, ‘Well nobody liked Isiah so forth and so on…I got Karl Malone number in my phone, I got Stockton number in my phone, I got Magic in my phone, I got Bird in my phone. All these guys y’all say didn’t like me, but yet you only interviewing Jordan and Pippen! …Hold on, timeout!”

But more than anything else, the two-time NBA champ is convinced that Michael Jordan’s admission of hating him could be the biggest factor from his exclusion:

“My problem is now after I’ve watched the Last Dance, and for all these years, I never knew how Jordan really felt. It’s like he been hiding behind the tree throwing rocks, but letting somebody else take the blame. Now it comes out where he’s like, ‘Okay, if y’all wanna blame it on me, I hate Isiah.’ I never knew he felt this way!”

Thomas continued:

“Now if Jordan didn’t wanna play, I’d still think we’d have won. But the fact that Jordan felt that way and this is the first time I’ve ever heard him publicly say, ‘I hate him.’ So now, it’s like if you felt that way then why all this time we’ve been around each other, you’ve been acting different.”

In the documentary The Last Dance, Michael Jordan clearly stated that he had nothing to do with the Isiah Thomas fiasco. However, in The Dream Team Tapes, Jack McCallum had on record His Airness emphatically saying this:

“I said to Rod [Thorn], I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.”

The Jack McCallum tapes predate The Last Dance, which is why it’s so confusing why no one bothered to check on those records for consistency. Jordan’s contradicting words only served to put more animosity between the two.

Adding more confusion to the whole brouhaha was Rod Thorn’s comments on the issue. The architect of the Dream Team previously told ESPN that when he called Michael Jordan to join, Thomas’ name was never brought up.

After all these years, the rift between the two basketball rivals is seemingly as great as ever.

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Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas ignored each other during the NBA’s 75th Anniversary celebration

Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas are still not seeing eye to eye. [Photo: Yahoo! Sports]

The highlight in this year’s All-Star celebration was the recognition of the NBA’s 75 best players. Unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas made the list. Both were shoo-ins to make the elusive club, with Jordan considered by many as the G.O.A.T.

After all these years, the bad blood between the two was still evident. While Thomas gladly greeted and spoke to Magic Johnson, he did not even spare a nod to Jordan, who was just behind Magic. It didn’t surprise anyone that both legends choose to ignore one another.

Thankfully, Magic Johnson served as the human barrier between the two fierce rivals. It’s highly unlikely that things will change between the two with Thomas’ latest salvo.