Former NBA star Charles Oakley has never been one to bite his tongue. After all, he played in the Association during a time when basketball was much different, and it wasn’t uncommon for teams to have multiple enforcers. In fact, while playing in Chicago with Michael Jordan, some would call Oakley MJ’s personal protector during that era. Years later, he’s still watching Jordan’s back and felt the need to respond recently to Isiah Thomas’ ongoing “beef” with his Airness.
“Mike does not want to be your friend, Isiah,” Oakley said on All the Smoke podcast. “For the fifth time, he does not want to be your friend. Stay on ESPN, keep talking on TNT. Now you’re trying to say everybody’s better than Mike. It’s OK! You are not better than Mike. He came to your city and took your city. That’s why you’re really mad. He took over Chicago.”
Thomas’s issue with Jordan is one he can’t seem to shake. It sounds like he wants to have a sitdown with MJ for the world to see, as he did with long-time pal Magic Johnson. The two legendary point guards squashed their beef a few years back with a sit-down interview and let it all out in front of the world.
But Jordan and Thomas never had any close relationship other than competing against one another. Isiah and Magic were good friends whose friendship went sideways somewhere along the way. So, the reconciliation between them made all the sense in the world. And it seemed both parties were ready to leave the past behind.
Jordan couldn’t give a crap about Thomas or his feelings at this stage. All these years later, it’s time to let it go. Michael doesn’t have time for this nonsense and can surely find much better things to do with his free time. Thomas will likely harbor these feelings toward Jordan for many more years. All the while, MJ won’t give him or his hurt feelings a second thought.