“I’ll Do It, But Isiah Can’t Be on This Team”
Over 30 years after the legendary 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team was assembled, a familiar controversy is back in the spotlight: the absence of NBA legend Isiah Thomas.
In a recent statement that reignited the debate, Reggie Miller said what many fans have long suspected, that Michael Jordan used his influence to keep Thomas off the greatest basketball team ever formed.
“I believe MJ probably said, ‘I’ll do it, but Isiah cannot be on this team,'” Miller claimed. “He didn’t like make the roster, but he made sure someone wasn’t on the roster.”
Did Jordan Really Pull the Strings?
The Dream Team, led by Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan, is often regarded as the greatest collection of talent ever assembled in sports. But the glaring omission of Thomas, a two-time NBA champion, 12-time All-Star, and Finals MVP, has remained one of its most talked-about controversies.
Jordan has denied any involvement, including during ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary. Yet Miller and many others aren’t buying it.
The timeline and the circumstances point to something more than a coincidence. Thomas had the résumé, the skills, and the status. He had outplayed legends like Bird, Magic, and yes, even Jordan at points during his prime. So why was he left off?
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The NBA Root of the Rift
The tension between Jordan and Thomas runs deep. It dates back to the fierce Bulls-Pistons playoff battles of the late ’80s and early ’90s. The Bad Boy Pistons, led by Thomas, became notorious for their rough, physical style of play especially against Jordan.
The final straw may have come in 1991, when the Bulls finally swept Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead of a handshake, Thomas and the Pistons walked off the court in protest. That moment, frozen in NBA lore, symbolized a rivalry drenched in mutual disrespect.
Miller believes Thomas was left out not because of performance, but because of personal agendas.
“Isaiah Thomas should have been on that Dream ’92 Team,” Miller said. “Because of what he had done for the league, his stature… he should have been on that team.”
Statistically, it’s hard to argue. By 1992, Thomas had tallied over 16,000 career points, nearly 9,000 assists, and had led Detroit to back-to-back titles. His absence was not due to a decline. It was political.
While the Dream Team won gold with ease, crushing opponents by an average of 43.8 points, that dominance doesn’t erase the feeling that something was missing. Or someone.
Jordan may never admit to having the final say, but Miller’s comments confirm what many fans have whispered for decades: Thomas wasn’t left off the Dream Team by accident, he was iced out by the game’s most powerful player.
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