In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green interviews former NBA star Isiah Thomas about his exclusion from the 1992 U.S. Dream Team. Thomas explains that his initial reaction to being left off the roster was confusion and hurt, not suspicion that Michael Jordan blocked his selection. He recounts his long‑standing relationships with teammates and coaches like John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek, and notes that at the time he never considered Jordan’s influence because the NBA’s power dynamics were not yet clear. Thomas later learned, through media reports and Jordan’s own statements, that Jordan had publicly denied any role in his omission, a claim Thomas now questions after the documentary "The Last Dance" suggested otherwise. The conversation shifts to the current state of Thomas’s relationship with Jordan, with Thomas bluntly stating it is "not salvageable" and that only a public apology could change that. The segment also includes a repeated DraftKings March Madness sponsorship plug. The interview blends personal recollection, commentary on NBA history, and a candid assessment of a long‑standing player rivalry.
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Thank you.
When you didn't make the Dream Team, as I all think, I think we all would agree, you should have been on the Dream Team. Did you not think in a, like that that possibly came from MJ? Like that MJ would have that type of power so that you don't make that team? Did you feel like that then or at any point?
When I didn't make the team, my first reaction was, why didn't I make it? Right? And that was the first time I had never made the team. You know, you—
Yes.
When you try out for a team, remember they used to write your name up on the wall, you made it, right? My name was always on the wall. I always made the team, right? And so that was the first time I didn't make a team. And so of course I was like, I was hurt, but at the same time, it never dawned on me on me that I didn't make the team because Michael Jordan didn't like me. That thought never crossed my mind. I went to the selection committee, and John Stockton is a personal friend of mine and has been a personal friend of mine for a long time. Jeff Hornacek, you know, his dad coached me in high school, right?
Wow.
So when you look at my relationships, you know, with Hornacek, Stockton, you know, we've known each other for years. So when I never thought like, okay, I wasn't gonna make the team. But when I looked at the, you know, who they picked, you know, it's like, okay, well, they picked this guy, they picked John, they picked this. And now, and then I started thinking, okay, well, and you know, you always wanna make the team. Okay, I'm like, okay, Well, Larry hurt, Magic ain't even in the league no more, right? You know, Stockton injured. Okay, I got a chance. It never crossed my mind that I wasn't on a team because Michael Jordan didn't want me on the team. And by the way, at that time, you not thinking like somebody would have that much power. Because that was their first championship. Now, I had won 2, should've won 3. Magic and Bird, I think had 5. Magic had 5, Bird had 3, I had 2. We had won the most championships in that era. So I didn't—
Absolutely.
I wasn't thinking like, it just wasn't crossing my mind. Now, some people will say, "Oh, Isaiah, you—" You should have known that it— but that ain't how I operate. That ain't how I think. I wasn't like going to, you know, oh, this guy didn't want me on the team, that's why I'm not on the team. And then it started coming out weeks later, well, Jordan don't like Isaiah, he didn't want him on the team. And then Michael Jordan did an interview, or he did a— made a quote, and he said, hey, I had nothing to do with Isaiah not being on the team. So why wouldn't I take him at his word? That's what he said. Last Dance said, oh, this dude been lying for a long time. You know, that's when— now you see me like, wait a minute. Okay, because now I'm like, okay, I'm pushing back now. But it really wasn't nothing to push back on at that time. Because I didn't make the team. Rodman didn't make the team. Rodman was 3-time Defensive Player of the Year. Joe Dumars didn't make the team. Joe Dumars was, you know, '89 NBA Finals MVP. I was '90 Finals MVP. We're the only backcourt that's ever been back-to-back NBA Finals MVPs. Wow. So Joe wasn't on the team. Rodman wasn't on the team. I wasn't on the team. So now we like, oh, well, the league hate us. We never said Jordan hate us.
Right.
It's like, oh, the league hate us. David Stern. 'Cause we was fighting with David Stern in the NBA ever since I got into the NBA. That's been our fight.
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So, but I never, I never went to Jordan, but now I am.
I respect that. Where is y'all relationship at today? And is that salvageable?
Dude, no.
Not salvageable?
No, we, The only way this is salvageable— this dude got on national television, international television, and called me an asshole, somebody who's been really good to him. And until he apologizes on international television, we ain't no conversation. You can't— I'm sorry. You can't apologize and have a private dinner when you done embarrass me publicly. If you didn't mean it, say it publicly. Now if you meant it, let it stand. I'm good with that.
