This season, NBA on NBC gave basketball fans a sit-down interview with Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, but Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas wants the network to be more honest about previous NBA eras.
During a recent appearance on the show Run It Back, Thomas was asked how he’d feel about NBC and other networks giving a voice to more former NBA legends.
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He wasted no time asking for more honesty about basketball history while questioning the context of Jordan’s iconic “Flu Game” in 1997.
“Only if they’re going to be one hundred percent honest, and not promote this BS,” Thomas said. “Tell the truth about the game. Truthfully, honestly, and factually to the fans so they can continue to learn and grow and love our game.”
“But the way our game is being talked about in some ways, it’s very mythical. It ain’t real. We’re still calling his (Michael Jordan) game ‘The Flu Game,’ and they know he didn’t have the flu. But they promote it.”
Jordan’s appearance on NBC this season felt like a bit of a scam to some NBA fans, who expected real-time analysis from Jordan throughout the season.
Instead, his contribution came in the form of a singular one-on-one interview that was split up into small segments aired throughout the season.
Thomas didn’t voice any issue with this format, instead pointing to how he believes the media propagandizes past NBA stars.
Jordan famously played through an illness during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, putting up 38 points in a win.
His trainer has since said Jordan was dealing with food poisoning from a delivery pizza he had ordered to the hotel late the night before the game.
It’s no secret that Thomas and Jordan have had beef in the past, dating back to their time as rivals in the 1980s and 90s. But he may not have a terrible point when he says the discourse surrounding previous players can feel a bit glamorized.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on @TheJames_Parker
