Isiah Thomas ' exclusion from the 1992 Dream Team is one of the most controversial topics in NBA history.
The Dream Team was supposed to be the greatest collection of NBA stars, but despite being one of the best players of that era, Thomas was snubbed from the original list of 10 payers announced in September 1991. He was also not one of the two remaining names revealed in May 1992.
"I don't know what the criteria was," Thomas said in disbelief. "I do believe I've made a lot of contributions. I never really wanted to get into blowing my own horn, but no other player has come into the NBA and done what I've done with a franchise. I mean, the Detroit Pistons had never won anything, not even a division. I helped this franchise win two championships, and now we sell out every game."
Zeke changed the Pistons' fortunes
Thomas was Detroit's No.2 overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft, and he turned the team from a dormant franchise into a dominant playoff team in the late 80s. From 1987 to 1991, the Pistons made the Eastern Conference Finals in five consecutive seasons. They went to the NBA Finals for three straight years from 1988 to 1990, winning the NBA championship in 1989 and 1990.
At 6-foot-1, Thomas became the shortest player to win the NBA's Finals MVP award in 1990. He made 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 1982 to 1993 and had five straight All-NBA Team selections from 1983 to 1987. As a player, he blazed the trail by becoming one of the earliest scoring point guards in the NBA.
"When I came to the league and started scoring a lot of points," recalled Thomas. "I was criticized because guys at my position weren't supposed to score. Now, it's considered a great thing. I've been like the groundbreaker, even though I've gotten slapped along the way. I don't mind. I guess the people who really appreciate the game understood what I was about."
But making the Dream Team wasn't all about ability
Thomas' good friend Magic Johnson said that if it were based on a basketball resume, Isiah would have definitely made the Dream Team. According to Johnson, the reason why Zeke didn't make the team was because he rubbed off people the wrong way , and many on the team did not want to play with him.
"Isaiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics," said Magic via Jack McCallum's book Dream Team . "Nobody on that team wanted to play with him, Michael Jordan didn't want to play with him, Scottie Pippen wanted no part of him, Bird wasn't pushing for him, Karl Malone didn't want him. Who was saying we need this guy? Nobody."
There's no questioning Isiah's greatness. However, as Magic said, it wasn't about basketball ability alone. It was about Zeke's issues with several Dream Team members, and everyone feared that team chemistry would suffer if the Pistons' guard was part of the team.
Related: Chris Paul on being a huge fan of Isiah Thomas early in his career: "Isaiah was one of those players who went out every night to win"
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