Hall of Fame point guard, Isiah Thomas, being left off the 1992 Dream Team is one of the biggest snubs in professional sports history. For years, Michael Jordan has been rumored to be behind this decision. But he's denied these accusations on several occasions—including in his recent The Last Dance documentary. Yet, audio has emerged claiming otherwise.
On Monday, audio from Jack McCallum's podcast The Dream Team Tapes started to surface on the internet. In the clip, Jordan told the reporter that he made it clear to then-selections committee member, Rod Thorn, that he would not participate in the games if Thomas was on the team.
"Rod Thorn called me. I said, 'Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team,'" Jordan said before throwing some of the blame on Thomas' own coach.
"He assured me," Jordan continued. "He said, 'You know what? [Dream Team head coach, Chuck Daly,] doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'"
In Episode 5 of ESPN's The Last Dance documentary, Jordan was questioned about the Dream Team selection process. He recounts his call with Thorn. But instead of explicitly saying that the doesn't want Thomas on the team, he claimed that he was informed the Isiah wouldn't be on the team without his urging.
"You want to attribute it to me, go ahead and be my guest," Jordan said in the documentary. "But it wasn’t me."
He then goes on to say that the addition of Thomas would have hurt the team's chemistry.
"The Dream Team, based on the environment and the camaraderie that happened on that team, it was the best harmony," he said. "Would Isiah have made a different feeling on that team? Yes."
McCallum's conflicting report of the events was recorded for his 2011 book, Dream Team. In the book, the acclaimed sportswriter details the 1991 selection process and how certain egos tainted the purity of the game.
"Please, in the year of our Lord 1991, there was no one who was going to pick Isiah Thomas over Michael Jordan," McCallum continued on his podcast per the New York Post. "It’s that simple."
