Jordan was a rookie and started the game but only scored seven points. Thomas has denied this but Jordan was also the type to be vindictive if he felt someone crossed him.
The next big incident came from the 1992 Dream Team roster selection when Jordan was picked for the Olympics but Thomas was not. Thomas has said that he believed Jordan played a part in this fact.
Jordan and Thomas also battled on the court, with Thomas’s “Bad-Boy Detroit Pistons” making life tough for Jordan early in his career. The bad blood between the two men has carried over into today.
LeBron James
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 2: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks the court against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on April 2, 2024… More PHOTO BY COLE BURSTON/GETTY IMAGES
While Thomas was never part of the Greatest of All Time discussion, Jordan has been one of the two players in the debate. Along with current Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, the GOAT discussion has taken on an entire life of its own.
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During an interview with Mlive.com, Thomas discussed the NBA GOAT situation and gave his opinion on the matter.
“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. 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.”
James has Jordan beat in terms of longevity, as he is still playing at an extremely high level at almost 40 years old. But Jordan has six titles over his career to James’ four championships.
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NBA culture tends to lean toward championships to determine greatness but James has started to change that fact. Becoming the All-Time leading scorer in NBA history may have persuaded some to switch opinions over to him.
Thomas isn’t the first person to recently discuss the GOAT debate as former NBA center Kendrick Perkins gave his take as well. Everyone who is a basketball fan has an opinion on the matter and truthfully, there is no wrong answer.
Read more: Kendrick Perkins Calls LeBron James the GOAT Over Michael Jordan After 2024 Olympics
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Both players are legends in their own right but James still has a small part of his basketball journey left to write.
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Matt Levine
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Matt Levine works as a contributing writer for Newsweek, covering multiple sports. He graduated in 2021 with a Master of … read more
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