Isiah Thomas Claims Michael Jordan Personally Called Him About Appearing In ‘The Last Dance’

Outside of Scottie Pippen, no person has been more vocal about their disappointment over The Last Dance than former Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas. The documentary, which came out in 2020, showcased Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, although the most common criticism it has received ever since it was released is that it was a documentary about Jordan (who allowed cameras to follow him around at the time under the condition the footage would only be used with his permission) with stuff about that Bulls team sprinkled in throughout.

Thomas, one of Jordan’s primary rivals during his playing days, has said he did not realize how Jordan felt about him until the docuseries aired, and late last year, he said that he was still upset over the fact that Jordan called him an asshole in one of the episodes. And in his latest comments on the series, Thomas claimed on the All The Smoke podcast that Jordan reached out to him personally and said his involvement was crucial to tell the full story.

“You see me dressed in a three-piece suit,” Thomas said. “Here’s the other thing I’ve got to say about Mike — his producer and Mike, they called me. ‘Hey, we need you in the video, can’t tell my story without you, you’re so important.’ Now, I’m thinking we’re all cool. ‘Can’t tell my story without you, blah blah blah blah.'”

Thomas went on to say the interview ran for about two hours and that he “said a lot of good stuff,” but then, when the series came out, he was put off by how he was portrayed.

“I’m dressed to the nines,” he said. “I didn’t come here in a sweatsuit today for you. I’m giving you respect, I’ma show up the right way because I got respect for you. I showed up the right way for that dude, and I sat there, and I did the interview. And that’s what you do to me?”

Jordan hasn’t said much about the response to the series, but maybe Thomas continuing to call him out like this changes things.