Zeke doesn’t think MJ is the only guy who built his legacy “from trash to greatness.”
Gilbert Arenas caught Isiah Thomas’ attention when he said Michael Jordan was the only player who built his legacy from scratch.
According to Arenas, Jordan was drafted into a bad Chicago Bulls squad and worked his way up the ladder to turn the Bulls into a championship team and a dynasty. The Detroit Pistons legend couldn’t help but react to Gil’s take.
Magic and Duncan were drafted by good teams
Agent Zero mentioned how guys like Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan were drafted into good organizations, so it didn’t take long for them to win championships. However, if Magic went to the New Orleans Jazz, a team that initially owned the pick the Lakers used to draft him, Arenas doesn’t think the legendary point guard would’ve been as successful.
The same goes for Duncan, who was selected by a San Antonio Spurs squad with David Robinson as its star player. Timmy won his first NBA championship as a sophomore and added a second chip with The Admiral in 2003.
Not the only one @GilsArenaShow https://t.co/KXg0GZwAnF
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) August 31, 2024
“The only person who built their legacy from trash to greatness is Michael Jordan,” declared Arenas. “Jordan is the only one who struggled his first five, six years and then built championships.”
Thomas turned the Pistons into winners
Perhaps Arenas should have remembered that the Pistons had never won an NBA championship when Zeke arrived in Detroit.
One can even argue that rookie MJ’s cast of Orlando Woolridge, Quintin Dailey, David Greenwood, and Steve Johnson was better than Thomas’ crew, which included John Long, Kelly Tripucka, Kent Benson, and Bill Laimbeer. After all, Zeke didn’t make the playoffs until his third NBA season, while MJ’s arrival made the Bulls an instant playoff team—this could also be an indicator of how great Michael was from day one.
For all Isiah’s greatness, Jordan was undoubtedly a better player. That said, the Bulls legend isn’t the only all-time great who built his career from scratch. Zeke also belongs to that company.
The Pistons drafted Isiah in 1981, hoping the Indiana Hoosiers product would end the organization’s four-year playoff drought. After missing the postseason in his first two NBA seasons, Thomas led the squad to nine straight playoff appearances, winning two NBA championships (1989 and 1990).