"He was alienated from those guys" - Clyde Drexler named the Dream Team members who didn't want Isiah Thomas on the team

Isiah Thomas ' exclusion from the 1992 Dream Team is a contentious topic. Many wonder why he wasn't included in the U.S. Men's basketball squad, though he was easily one of the best point guards at the time.

Drexler talked about the Thomas' exclusion

According to Scottie Pippen , the reason was pretty simple. The team already had John Stockton and Magic Johnson, so there was no room for the Detroit Pistons guard. It was a safe and diplomatic answer that Clyde Drexler disagreed with. According to Drexler, some players didn't want Thomas on the team — and he named all of them.

"I think the guy gets there on his own merit even though in an Olympic scheme, it's all about camaraderie. You have to get along with your teammate, and because he was alienated from those guys (Magic, Pippen, Bird, Jordan), I don't think anybody else had a problem with him. David Robinson, myself, Patrick, we had no problem with Isiah," Drexler said , per Mad Dog Radio.

Clyde raised a good point. There was some truth to the rumor that Michael Jordan played a critical role in keeping Isiah off the team. Assembling a team isn't just a matter of getting all the good players available and telling them to put on the same jerseys. They have to get well on and off the court.

No sportsmanship

After Drexler's thorough explanation, Pippen finally gave in. He recalled the 1991 Eastern Conference duel when the Chicago Bulls finally booted out the mighty Pistons after years of failure.

Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre infamously did not extend their hand to the winning team and walked out before the final buzzer. Jordan and Pip did not appreciate Thomas' bitter attitude.

"Detroit Pistons beat the Bulls numerous times, and finally, when we were able to overcome them, he just wasn't very professional in turning the torch handover, and I didn't have any love for him, I'm sure Michael didn't have any love for him so if they asked me about him being on the team I probably would have said no," Pippen said.

What would happen if Isiah donned the Team USA jersey along with MJ and Pip? Would they have still dominated the other countries? Or would chemistry issues stifle their chances? We will never know the answer. The Americans would've still likely won the gold. But it probably wouldn't have been a great experience for Thomas and those who hated him.

Related: Clyde Drexler shares why no other Team USA comes close to the 1992 and 1996 squad: "I haven’t seen any other team that could beat either one of those teams"