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Isiah Thomas’ Apology Demand From Michael Jordan Only Has One Outcome, as Per Shannon Sharpe

Published 03/14/2024, 9:00 AM EDT

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One can’t be a prophet for saying something isn’t going to happen but Shannon Sharpe might as well be. He said, “You ain’t getting that apology,” to Isiah Thomas and the 3x Super Bowl winner is probably right. The ‘baddest’ of the Pistons’ Bad Boys demanded a public apology from Michael Jordan for being called an “a**hole” in Netflix’s ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries. Naturally, two of the most talkative athletes-turned-media personalities had to comment.

As much as Shannon Sharpe and Gilbert Arenas claim to love Zeke, they feel he’s asking for too much. On Nightcap, Sharpe proclaimed that the 2x NBA champion should’ve been on the Dream Team and he said what everyone has been saying; that the bitterness came from the 1985 All-Star Game. Given their history, Sharpe doesn’t think Zeke and MJ were ever “buddy-buddy” for Thomas to act like MJ is responsible for ending their friendship. So he reiterated, “I know Zeke… Isiah, don’t you wait for that apology.” 

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Isiah Thomas told Draymond Green on his podcast, “until he [Jordan] apologizes on international television, there is no conversation. You can’t apologize and have a private dinner when you embarrassed me publicly. If you didn’t mean it, say it publicly.”

Sharpe disproved Thomas’ claim that the winning team would congratulate their opponents in the locker room. Nor did he accept that the Detroit Pistons started a trend of walking off the court after a defeat. He brought up the Boston Celtics walking away early when they lost to Zeke and the Pistons in the 1988 ECF to invalidate Thomas’ reasoning.

Gilbert Arenas, on the other hand, said that it was never about a team. In fact, he didn’t believe Thomas who alleged he had been good to Michael Jordan.

Agent Zero got personal about Isiah Thomas

When Thomas delved into his feud with Jordan on Green’s podcast, he said, “Chicago, they’re the only champion that still cries about somebody not shaking their hand.” He alleged that Jordan’s bitterness stemmed from the infamous handshake snub which boiled over in the 2020 Netflix docuseries, ‘The Last Dance’.

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Arenas countered it’s about “personal relationships.” He claims a winning team doesn’t usually congratulate the losing team. “Only friends,” congratulate each other and hold no hard feelings over a win-loss situation.

He said that’s not only the problem between MJ and Zeke, but alleged that it was the Pistons legend who literally rejected a hand of friendship. “Jordan’s friendship to Isiah, when Isiah won, was the handshake. When Isiah lost, Jordan as a friend to Isiah was like, ‘I want the same respect.’ And the fact that Isiah walked off, Jordan took it personal.”

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Gilbert Arenas alleged that Zeke didn’t reciprocate the respect, which Shannon Sharpe agreed with. That’s why both don’t think he’s ever getting that apology. Do you agree with this prophecy?

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Written by:

Caroline John

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Caroline John is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports. She holds a Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from a reputed university. With 8 years of experience in content writing and after judiciously covering the life of Shaquille O’Neal, she even earned an exclusive interview with the CEO of Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise, Josh Halpern.
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Edited by:

Aakash Nair