Magic Johnson explains why Isiah Thomas was left off the Dream Team | First Take
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- čas přidán 3. 05. 2020
- Magic Johnson speaks to Stephen A. Smith about Isiah Thomas being left off of the 1992 USA Dream Team and shares his hope that IT and MJ will reconcile one day and become friends.
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"If you can dodge a question - you can dodge a ball. "
- Magic
He answered and his answer was and is Isaiah.... are we all watching the same clip!!
Khalil Attiba pretty sure he’s talking about the first question that Magic was asked...
Lol
@@lmtrey5 I thought it was it obvious but I guess I was wrong haha
Didn't dodge HIV
Interviewer: Did MJ keep Isiah off the Dream Team?
Magic: Yesn't.
🤣 genius
😆
I think its "Yes, but everyone else didn't want him either."
@@fenrirunshackled4319 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@MANCHESTER UNITED To the country that matters tho.... Lame🤣🤣🤣
He MAGICALLY danced all around that answer
Underrated comment.
it was alley oop answer lol
He’s professional and not messy
I saw Majic "levitate" around the answer like riding a Magic carpet.
That was MAGIC how he answered that question.
I missed the part where he explains why he was left off the team.
Magic and MJ had something to do with it
You’d have to know some background. But he briefly mentioned it. It was too much tension between MJ and Isaiah. MJ as in Michael.
@@tjblackartist stfu
@@jej495 Better believe Bird did too, he didn't forget what the bad boy Pistons did to him
They didn’t need another scorer
Magic talked around that question like he was on trial facing life in prison
YEAH, he did!! LOL
Marty Sumpter we live in a society where the truth really ain’t important anymore
Yea; which ? ?
Magic is like Joe Biden and Zeke is like Tara Reid
No he didn’t lol.
Someone needs to show Magic the 4th quarter of game 6 1997 Western Conference finals Jazz v. Rockets. Stockton completely took over and scored relentlessly including the buzzer beater.
Yes, Stockton chose to not take alot of shots. Doesn't mean he was completely incapable.
When did Stockton score 25 points in one quarter? Those are Chamberlain type numbers
John did that one time, but Isaiah did that constantly.
why do that when you can look at their stats head to head. i recall zeke putting 40 on Stockton numerous times
@@makemlaughtilithurts1718I remember that happening once. Isiah dropped 40 but took 29 shots. Stockton went 4 for 8, 10 points, 12 assists, and won the game 106-98. Real burn by Thomas, huh?
Isiah was kept off the team because Magic felt like Isiah was spreading a viscous rumor about Magic around the league. The blame just happened to fall on Jordan, but Magic primarily pulled those strings to keep Isiah off the Dream Team.
Bird n Magic ….
Was it IT's rumor about Magic being bi-sexual or experimenting and got HIV because of it????
Magic SHOWTiMED his way through these questions
Otis Thelonius ‘he-hee’ (dream team interviews). He was very careful lol. He and Isaiah are good now.
You downloaded CZcams 14 yrs ago
HAHA...indeed
like no other
😂😂😂😂 🏆
I respect Stockton. He chose Isiah to introduce him for his HOF induction.
Kagiso Edward wow pretty cool
Kagiso Edward ohhhh I see now. I watched Jordan’s hall of fame speech and I was wondering why Isiah Thomas was in the audience.
He was there because Stockton was being inducted also. Thanks.
And Isiah Thomas got a scar from Kar Malone due to him for embarrassing Stockton
@NaghaviSystem I take you thought that racist joke was funny
D Lann lmao
It makes me feel amazing to hear Magic talking IT in a positive way.
I see what you did there. Positive
@@biggerchungus7 shut up
Zeke
I am disappointed at the disrespect to Stockton here. He was the best point guard in 1992 BY FAR. And the second best was Hardaway, who was the only player on the 1992 First or Second Team not to make the Dream Team because he was bumped for Magic getting a legacy spot. (Bird also got a legacy spot and Laettner was the token college player). Now you want to bump Stockton, one of the best players in the league, to give a THIRD legacy spot to player who is simply not on the level of either Magic or Bird, and is also unpopular? No way
Here is the deal. Due to how he played in the NBA None of the other players wanted to be around him at that time. If Jordan, Magic, Pippen, and Bird didnt want to play with him. He is not going to be part of it. You can be the best at what you do but if others dont want to work with you who cares how good you are.
You forgot Karl Malone
TRUTH
Exactly how did he IT play? I thought he was part of a team.
As a opposition I see your point but Zeke was going to be their teammate and their was only two people that didn’t want him on that team besides Magic and that was Scotty and MJ knowbody else had a problem so stop the narrative that knowbody wanted to play with him! Further they played in the all star game with him a year before and knowbody had a problem then! This was a direct personal decision based off mainly MJ! Scotty just a follower and Magic heard rumors of his best friend turned on him! Now since Magic and Zeke talked the truth is out and somebody who started the whole thing is about to get exposed! And that person haven’t done interviews lately because he doesn’t want to get exposed by the media!! The truth is going to come out just a matter of time.
@@derekbanks7377 really just depends on who you believe, MJ in his HOF speech said he didn’t play a part in keeping IT off the team. The last dance is about creating controversy and tv ratings.
Magic went around the question
Yeah because he was one of the players "at the time" that didn't get along with IT & probably one of the players that didn't want him on the team. Lol
He dont want to say how he was really feeling at the time lol
Of course he did we all seen his expression
The Title is misleading... Click bait
He kind of answered it though. He chose Isaiah
They didn’t need to choose between Stockton and Isaiah. Just get rid of Laettner, who really didn’t belong there at all, and take em both!
Shaq was supposed of took Christian spot
The Olympic selection committee decided to bring one rookie, as homage to the previous Olympic teams.
Knowing that a rookie wouldn’t be beating out anyone for PT, they took the manageable ego in Laettner over the better prospect in Shaq.
Yeah but laettner had a spark at that time, should have been shaq honestly or Hakeem why no mention of them
No way they were taking out laettner. A college representative is required. Laettner and Shaq were the choices. If there was a player to be taken out it should have been Chris Mullin. Dominique Wilkins should have gotten that spot
That college slot was required, it was only between Shaq or Laettner.
I was still living in small town in Africa when we discover the Dream Team. Its the first time that i heard about Magic, MJ, Bird and all the players. But those players become very famous from the begining of the Olympic. It;s like 60% of the youth who know their name.
Unfortunately, even now, i know very little about Isiah
That's really too bad. Isiah was the best point guard not named Magic Johnson at the time and is in the top 3 or 4 PGs of at all time. For me it's Magic, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas. It's too bad you were cheated out of witnessing that.
@@hitekdialect Saw a clip where they asked Magic for his opinion of 5 best players by position (without picking yourself) and Magic picked Isiah Thomas for point guard.
He ruined the Knicks. The end.
When I first heard about this controversy in 1992, I, too, believed that Jordan was the cause for why Isiah was left off the dream team. Now, 30 years, I still believe Jordan was a huge part of it. But out of curiosity, I looked at Isiah's and Stockton's 1991 stats (Stockton was chosen shortly after the 1991 finals), I saw some basketball justifications for choosing Stockton over Isiah. It is all about timing, and 1991 was extremely bad for Isiah. To begin with, he was hurt and was kept to 48 games. Stockton played and started all 82. Isiah scored 776 points, had 446 assists and 160 rebounds. Stockton's was 1297 points, 1126 assists and 270 rebounds. Both were point guards and had to distribute the ball. Well, Stockton had an amazing 13.7 assists per game to Isiah's 9.3! That's almost 10 more points per game attributable to Stockton that year! Isiah's prime was behind him, while Stockton was on the ups. But most important (basketball-wise), Isiah had surgery on his shooting hand. That limited his ability to contribute on the court. Indeed, that was a serious reason why the Pistons lost that Eastern Finals Series to the Bulls. So there were other reasons beyond politics and popularity to keep Isiah out of the 1992 US team.
Read the post by Kagiso Edward. Says it all. Stockton chose Isiah to introduce him for his HOF induction. Even Stockton knew. Nuff said.
@@DigitalOdyssey3001 no doubt about it. Player to player, overall, Isiah definitely had a better career. However, 1991 was what mattered for the Dream Team selection. And Stockton actually had a better year in 1991
@@johnfu3850 By your standards of play time then Magic should not have been on that team. He was retired & many Olympic teams had a problem with Magic being in the Olympics because not enough was known about HIV back then.
@@BBBYpsi you forgot about bird who was practically immovable due to his back injury. read my posting again please. I am not saying Stockton's basketball achievement in 1991 was the only reason why he was selected over Isiah Thomas. What I am saying is there were other reasons besides popularity and politics that could justify Stockton's selection. Of course Jordan's popularity and Magic's popularity had a lot to do with the selection process. Denying that is to deny the obvious.
That is a well thought out explanation of 🐂 💩. Magic best years were behind him and he had retired, yet he was chosen. Bird was dealing with severe back issues as well.
That injury suggestion doesn't hold weight
Everybody: we need an answer.
Majic: I'm 60, I ain't got time for that right now.
"Majic"? Seriously?
Magic is on borrowed time, he should be happy he is still around for people to ask him questions at all.
I was 12 when he came out HIV positive. I said it then and I’ll say it now. He never had it. it was a lie. He sacrificed his career to raise awareness of AIDS.
Lmaoooo
That's easy for magic to say it because it was not him
Magic saying that people should move on, is him avoiding the question. Just be honest that he had a voice in isiah being left out.
Like the line from the godfather, I KNEW IT WAS YOU FRADDO, AND YOU BROKE MY HEART.,,,looking back now that was a big issue that he still denies to this day,
FACTS
Cant change the past
He did in his autobiography... MJ didn’t like him but didn’t make that call at all, like the doc says
Magic and Isiah have made up now so obviously he doesn't want to reignite anything.
According to Charles Barkley “Isiah and Stockton were the two best “pure” point guards in NBA history “.
CP3 is better than Stockton
U know Bark said “purr”
@@soraventus4906 Yes, a more complete player than Stockton. Stockton was a great player, but was a system player. He and Malone made each other better, along with the coach who designed the offense. If Malone were in foul trouble, it would not be like Stockton was going to take over the scoring piece. Isiah and CP3 could do that.
I grew up in Indiana not far from the Illinois border and 45 minutes from Chicago. I was in college when the bulls drafted Jordan. My buddies and I got to see Jordan’s entire career and consider it a blessing to witness all that greatness in real time. Obviously we hate Thomas as kinda a punk but also respect him as a great player. On the flip side, the entire state of Indiana idolized Bobby Knight at that time - especially us HS basketball players. We all knew everything Bob Knight did or said and every player on his roster. We all knew about the players he ripped to pieces in practice - which was everyone- star and scrub alike. It was well known that Knight very rarely berated Thomas. The reason was well known too - he was just immune to mistakes - he made all the right decisions all the time in practice and in games. Knight had nothing to yell at. No conclusion from me - just offering that perspective to those who don’t know that.
Ain't no "kinda" about it. Zeke is the biggest punk in league history, if not the entirety of sports. F*ck 'im.
What Knight said and didn't say about IT says a whole bunch.
Well he made a mistake when he threw the ball to Larry Bird in the final game of the playoffs and thus lost the series. I bet Knight would have yelled at him then! Bahahahaha!
I was a Utah Jazz fan in the 80's and 90's. I had friends who would give me tickets to the Jazz games when they couldn't make it. The best teams I saw the Jazz play against were the Trailblazers and knicks. I could have seen the MJ Bulls, but the price tag was 500 usd. That was a full paycheck for me, back then. So I didn't ever see Jordan in person. If I could go back in time, I now would pay the 500 gladly and buy his rookie cards before they went crazy.
I knew Magic played Defense, but the deflection game at the age of 60..... I’m Impressed 🧐
stock was way better than ball hog IT
@@a-ddaigrepont3375 Stockton is a glorified Mark Price I can name several PGs better than John
A-D Daigrepont trippin
A-D Daigrepont You smoking meth
lol 💯
He talking like he didn’t have nothing to do with him not being on the team... so no one knows nothing🤣🤣
EXACTLY.
Deadass bro... somebody lying 😂
@@kmoney362 On God my first thought when I watched this is my favorite player is lying like a mug. I love Magic so so so much, but this was a politicians answer. They all know he deserved to be there and they all iced him out
Did anyone catch that slight grin from Magic when he said I know he is hurt?
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯🙄 MAGIC HAD A LOT TO DO WITH IT IN MY OBSERVATION!!! MAGIC IS BEING DISHONEST!!!
If anyone who is to blame for Isiah being cut from the team, it is Magic... He's one of the people who recruited players for the team and he had issues with Isiah back at those times...
As a 20 year basketball coach, and 30+ years of hoops under my belt, chemistry is important. Even when the deck is stacked like the dream team.
Are u saying if thomas was on the team instead of Stockton that they would have lost? Surely ur not that dumb 😂
@Mark Warner oh 100% they are still winning gold with Isiah over Stockton. But is the chemistry the same, does the team come together like they did and grow close and show the world how great a game it is. Or does Isiah's presence put some division? Do yhe same guys all show up if zeke is there?
More than 1 guy didn't want to play with him . Jordan just took it for everyone it wasn't just him
Joseph Ward Facts!!!!!
@@ryanmoore9276 really dude??
@@ryanmoore9276 get yourself a therapist bruv
Joseph Ward who told you that lol? They didn’t say that in the documentary
Imo I believe they looked at that team as whole n said alot of these wouldn't get along with Isiah . Jordan bird magic had issues with him at one point . Talent wise he deserved to be on the team
MJ answered this like a boss
"I never mentioned his name, if you need to blame someone, then blame me..I got no problem with that..."
Or something along those lines
Harri v'Jah you clearly weren’t watching ball back then when this happen. Everyone and the grandmother knows that magic and mj blackballed zeek off the team. Go watch the Magic’s documentary... he clearly said that he didn’t want zeek on the team
That’s not boss, sounds like deflection. Just admit you didn’t want him on the team, you played “GM”, the same thing we accuse LeBron of.
@@kswiss8626 I hear you but the Olympic Team really didn't need Isaiah, especially when they had Stoctin (a Caucasian), and they didn't like Isaiah in the first place... when I say, "they" I mean the owners and the people at the top that control the narrative.
He lying he pulled a LeGM.
K Swiss I thought Magic&IT we’re friends
Isaiah was left off the Dream Team not because of talent but because of team chemistry. Everyone still had it fresh in their minds about the Bad Boy Pistons dirty play and Isaiah's lack of class while refusing to shake the Bulls hands when they finally beat the Pistons. I don't think only Jordan but most of the Dream Teamers wanted Isaiah on the team because of the baggage, John Stockton on the other hand did not carry that same baggage and made for a better teammate than Isaiah.
Max was right when he said "you guys didn't need that" meaning Isiah's scoring
SO TECHNICALLY MAGIC NEVER ANSWERED THE QUESTION OR GAVE THE REAL REASON
Magic "dodge the question" Johnson
That's because it was really him who was picked in front of Thomas
This was a waste of time to listen to
@@talljib
Yep. Didn't tell the truth, and didn't lie either.
Magic was asked two questions: Did MJ directly have anything to do with Thomas’ omission from the dream team? How did that affect Thomas? He answered the second question. That answer was so long he probably forgot to about the first. Neither Stephen A or Max brought it back up; at least not in this clip. So he answered part of the question.
Poor Stockton, he didn’t ask for anything but everyone’s start to compare him to IT and almost question his place on the team 🤦🏿♂️
MonsieurDik 😭man for real!
Seriously. Cringe. Have some respect
Its because the involved parties don't provide a straight forward answer
MonsieurDik
Yeah.
Poor rich white guy.
He doesn't deserve all this trauma.
Kevin Scott what’s the matter calling him rich WHITE man? Don’t understand ur point
The best comment imo came from max and was totally overlooked here: the didn't need another scorer/closer...they needed a guy to distribute the ball to all the other scorers.
There are consequences for one’s actions. I’m not crying tears for Isiah. He did many, many people dirty, and he paid the price for his own actions.
He should've not have been left off the team ..get off Jordan's nuts ...
I agree, he did some dirty stuff to people. It served him right to be left off. Didnt none of those guys want to play with him.
And that was at the selection time of the team
@@michigan2400 - It’s not all about Jordan. Isiah also openly questioned Magic’s sexuality after his HIV diagnosis, so Isiah has created a lot more enemies than just Jordan and Da Bulls.
his resume was off the charts .. and he had more chips than jordan when the team was selected .. so just stop ... he was an 10 time allstar when thne team was chosen .. finals mvp .. shows you how much weight jordsn pulled
"I am 60, see we gotta move past that and move past that"
Easy for you to say when you were in it!!!
EXACTLY
He's referring to the bills pistons rivalry
The whole series is a look back at history.........LOL.
Magic wack and weak for that.
Just like he moved past the A.I.D.S huh haahahaha
Dear Magic,
Just answer the question!!
Regards,
A fan
magic is a smiling assassin. ha ha! he know nuthin
WHICH HE NEVER DID
🤣🤣
Isaiah was the one of the reasons of his being left off. When the idea of NBA players was first announced Isaiah popped off in the Detroit Free Press that he would prefer to take the summer off after an NBA season and allow the college players to continue. Once it became the dream team he wanted to play and he should have been on the team
Nobody wants to talk about that though and I love Isaiah
Heres the thing. They were trying to create a team as much as they were picking individials. And they were trying to win.. make sure they won. They already had all the scoring with Jordan and company. And so i think that even Scottie making the team was partly because he was teamates with Jordan and that chemistry was there that didnt need building up. And they were real careful about that. And since Isaih wasnt a hands down no brainer pick over stockton, and since stockton could shoot and would play his role as a facilitator. and since stockton had good defense well then that was the reason. Also i might add that this is an international delegation so there was some inclusion dynamics going on here. They didnt want the team to be all black either. they wanted to add some cream to the coffee and so its a good look to have whites and blacks little more balanced out than say a typical regular season roster which would be heavily black. Also they probably asked around and Jordan might just rather play with stockton if they was cool and professional like that. Isiah leaving the court without shaking hands maybe that was old school style but that came to bite him later and gave stockton the edge he needed to get picked.
I honestly think Michigan folk see a different Isaiah. Especially if you also played organized ball at any level and can see how one guy can ruin the fun on a team
He didn't " pop " off, he was honest and forthright something that was missing from these " great " individuals. Truth told, I really believe they were afraid he would steal their thunder and show the world how good he really was and they weren't having it. He would have put them to shame and they knew it. shame on them for stealing his moment.
Nah IT burned his bridges with all players from his bad boys hurting his opponents to starting rumors about Magic the Jordan rules and his jealousy towards MJ, etc etc what goes around comes around
It’s all in the past and as a Piston fan I had to let it go too. I gave my heart to Isaiah, Joe Dumars, Salley, Rodman, Vinnie, Laimbeer, and the rest of the Bad Boys and it hurt the fans as well when they left Isaiah off the team. I don’t know many Pistons fans who watched the dream team in 1992, the 2012 documentary or the Last Dance. However it’s water under the bridge now. I miss those NBA glory days!
@Howard Bueker But neither could the Warriors, Lakers and other teams of today win a championship against the Pistons, Celtics or Lakers of the 80's under those rules at that time.
The rest of the world is happy 😅Thomas was left home
@@jamie.777 There are those in this world who know the game of basketball and those that don’t. Those that don’t were happy Isiah was left home. 4 more inches in height and we’d be talking Isiah as the greatest ever.
@@allenjames417 so those who make hypotheticals like ‘if Isiah Thomas was 6’5, he’d be better than LeBron James’ know basketball, but those who acknowledge the ‘92 Dream Team as the best basketball team ever assembled (they won gold), don’t know basketball? Lol, that’s fair
I wish social media didn’t exist for the sake of people like you sharing deluded opinions as fact, and denouncing anything that goes against your fairytale
@@allenjames417mo
We all know he was left off because he was a part of the Bad boy Detroit team which was hated by other players including MJ & Pip.
Yet they took the coach! Interesting!!!
Exactly
And they had as a team the starters walked off the court before the game they lost to the Bulls Eastern conference finals. Well why use Chuck Daley as coach because he could corral all those huge personalities. He very subtly threw the first scrimmage game against the college all stars. He was a piece of work. His point was you could lose.
Well, magic dodged that question. 🤦♂️
He is after all..... a dodger : )
@@oneflowerninjamagic1912..😱 😂🤣
Couldn’t dodge AIDS
Jc Urla he’s HIV positive he’s been dodging Aids for about 30 yrs lol
SOURAVE MEL lmaooo true dat 🤣🤣🤣
All I want to say is Thank you Magic!°°°°Truth Hurts
He answered very briefly about how he did not want tension on that team. Namely between Isaih and Michael. Which it probably would have been. There was( and still is) bad blood between the two because of how dirty The Pistons played. Magic wanted to make history because the USA college teams were getting destroyed in the Olympics. To win The Dream Team had to get along as a unit.
he's saying it's not about talent, it's about how you fit in a team.
EXACTLY!! I mean, when you already have a team that’s dripping wet with talent (i.e., Jordan, Johnson, Pippen, Bird, Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Robinson, Drexler), you can afford to NOT have the dude on your team that will break your nose for two points 🤷🏾♀️
Exactly, the Redeem Team and our gold medal FIBA teams werent just a collection of the best NBA players... that format didnt work, hence the forming of the Redeem Team.
That said, Stockton needs some Respeck on his name
Would rather have seen them leave off Laettner and keep Stockton and Isaiah. Sure Laettner was a college star, but he’s the most replaceable by far.
If I remember correctly, he was put on, partially as a favor to Coach K, who was an assistant coach on the team, and partially as a tribute to all the previous USA hoops teams that were entirely made up with college players.
True but Stockton was a point guard. No need to bring 3
Donnie I think one spot had to be a college player so it was Christian or Shaq. On the PG spot it was Stockton or Thomas
@@skullcrackers187 true but also no need to have a college player who will ride the bench - lol - probably even less need.
logosg exactly
When Magic tells “ his ability “ , he means , his character and personality
John Stockton is underestimated here. He was very tough and a great shooter who could score but that wasn’t his main assignment. Man was injured and never missed a game thereafter. He was strong in assists just before the Dream Team. He deserved it. Thomas is a great player. But, the unsportsmanlike conduct in his young days cost him a prestigious seat on the Dream Team. It had to be that. If it was about his merit and skill, no one could stop him! The days were different then and unfortunately it has to be his conduct which is really sad and maybe unfair to an extent but understandable. I don’t believe one player could have influenced the decision to keep Thomas out, especially since he was great.
I missed the part where Magic explains why Isaiah was left off the dream team 🤔
Tripp Shaw he didn’t like isiah and don’t want to admit it
First take reaching lol
Magic has mixed feelings about Isiah because they were close friends who had a big falling out, partly Magic's fault and partly Isiah's. Bird called Magic when he announced the HIV to see if he could do anything to help as a fellow human being, and he isn't the kind of guy to do that, and Isiah didn't call.
I got you m8, Thomas and Rodman made jokes about Magic's HIV and made homosexual references in the newspaper back in the day and would not play in the Dream Team if Thomas played, so Stern told Jordan to exclude Thomas and Jordan did so and took the heat like a man!
Magic Johnson said in his own book that no one wanted to play with Thomas. Thomas questioned Magic's sexuality when people still thought HIV was a disease of homosexual men in the early 90's. Thomas also feuded with Bird and famously Jordan and Pippen. That's 4 guys out of 12, and 3 of the most recognizable names on the team.
This didn't answer the question.
Luis San Jose didn’t know this dam besides championships it’s a tough argument for Stockton n Isaiah but let’s still be real MJ n the others didn’t want him on the team that fact still remains.
WHY ? Because He was a Classless , Jagoff, Punk ! & Still is !
Guys, Isiah doesn't need to answer the questions. The stunts he pulled on opposing players, is so laughing, is so close to being annoying. For example, in the 1990 regular games, he punched Rick Mahorn for no reason at all because he couldn't steal the ball away from him? Is that necessary? My God, are reaping the fruits of your shenanigans along with Bill Laimbeer.
He didn’t but Magic will always play the public relations role, as if he’s running for mayor. Isiah was talented but a punk, played head games and displayed terrible sportsmanship. Why should anyone ever question his being left off that team with such shortcomings?
@Luis San Jose Thomas beat Jordan, Bird, and Magic to win a Championship in 89
Then Beat Jordan (3rd in a row) and Drexler 90
that eliminates that BS 1st team All NBA
Only Bird and Magic had more rings than Zeke when the Dream Team was assembled!
The best argument is what Max said at the end..... "but you didn't need that". Didn't 50 a game. You needed someone to just distribute the ball to all those scorers.
As a teen in Boston in the 80's, I bled Celtics green, and I HATED the "Bad Boys". But even I thought it was wrong to keep Isiah off the Dream Team.
@Sheha Nagaraj Laettner was there because at the time, they wanted to keep one spot open for a college player. There was a lot of controversy over sending professional NBA players to the Olympics. The criticism at the time was the choice to send Laettner instead of Shaquille O’Neal. But even though he didn’t amount to much in the NBA, he was one of the greatest college players ever; had just come off consecutive NCAA Championship titles (‘91 and ‘92), and was NCAA Player of the Year his senior year. Shaq has even said that while he was pissed off at the time, he admits now that Laettner was a more polished, fundamentally sound player in 1992 than he was.
I couldn’t disagree more about Stockton, though! By the time he was picked for the Dream Team, he was already the all time NBA leader in assists AND steals, and still had 5 or 6 more years to play in his professional career.
I thought Jordan didn’t want Isiah, because the way the pistons walked off the court, after they were defeated, when the bulls we’re going for their first championship. To me they were very disrespectful to the bulls
@@Carnivore_Shoon After Chicago went up 3-0 Michael Jordan did an interview where trashed the Pistons and Detroit fans . Jordan said the Pistons really didn't deserve the two previous championships and that the Pistons style of play didn't belong in the NBA. So as far as "respect" I guess you get what you give.
There is "wrong" (less serious) and another thing is "disrespectful".
Why was it wrong ? Isiah didn't deserve to be on the dream team. He hadn't even made an All-NBA team for 5 years and there were other guards who were playing much better than him at that point of time.
Stockton is the all time leader in Assists and Steals. Show the man some respect
He wasn't a great player
@@tonyjones8425 LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL if you are not trolling this has got to be the dumbest comment in the history of the NBA comment section. Stockton was all-time assist, steal leader, 10 time all-star, 11 time all-nba, 5 time all defensive, and in 1992 was even MVP ! yeah, he was terrible, im amazed they even let him play in the NBA with stats like that LOL
But he didn't accomplish that in 92 when they selected him. Isiah at that time was clearly better.
@@tonyjones8425 wow, this is a dumb comment.
Hé did play like a million games tho. If it wasn’t for HIV Magic would’ve held all those records.
Magic Johnson would be an amazing lesbian boxer because he just beating around the bush
🤣🤣🤣🤣
but he'd be disqualified for hitting below the belt,so why would he be amazing?
ZeeDigital best comment ever!
He's too nice a guy to say anything now.
😂😂😂😂
Thank you Magic!!
Stockton averaged 13.1 ppg, 10.5 apg, and 2.2 spg vs. Thomas at 19.2 ppg, 9.3 apg, and 1.9 spg . So not double assists like Max said.
It's not just that Isaiah averaged 6 more points a game, but in 1991 Isaiah was literally just coming off 2 straight back to back championships and was a huge star
Karl Malone made John stockton
@@kevinhurston1555 How when Stockton had to pass him the ball?! That don't even make sense...more correctly they made each other.
Stockton passed the ball to Malone the second leading scorer in NBA History, and got out the way. His assists stats are overrated.
John Stockton made Karl Malone even better player
Title: explains why Thomas was left off. Result: things are finally clear as mud
That was exactly my thought.
@@chrismcdevitt7814 they need the backup PG. A restless Zeke on the bench gonna make the team chemistry damaged.
Lmao
Poor John Stockton, getting dragged into this discussion. He’s over there just minding his own business, haha!
He is the only other point guard can't put Isiah on with out taking Stockton off.
Exactly! Maybe he's sitting back and enjoying how people remember his greatness.
@@charlesgreen8703 He's also the All-time Steals leader!
@@charlesgreen8703 and steals leader
The question is about Did he deserve that spot on the dream team because you left a legend off of it And the answer is no, that's why his name was bought up
Max should NOT argue with a legend like Magic.
Both Isiah Thomas and Dominique Wilkins belonged on the original Dream Team. USA Basketball did make up for it by placing both players on the Dream Team 2 in 1994 for the FIBA World Championship. Wilkins played, but Isiah got hurt and was unable to compete. Unfortunately, though the 2nd Dream Team was entirely forgotten in comparison to the original 1992 team.
Nobody talks about or even knows there was a dream team 2. That's why Isiah lost out. He will NEVER be on that dream team. Iconic, never duplicated
In the book When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson relates that he, Jordan and other players conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team.
It's so weird hearing media talk about the Pistons. I love it though.
Pistons had one of the greatest teams of all time
Jalen?
Agree, Isiah made that, love Pistons
Only reason Isiah and the Bad Boys era are getting their props now is because the biased and uptight national media of those days who were against Isiah and the Pistons are outta there and a younger generation of media are now paying the homage that's 30 yrs overdue.
Bottom line is that these were Pros having to live with eachother every day and none of them wanted it to be a miserable experience. Its NOT just about who is best in a situation like this. Nearly everyone on the dream team had bad issues with IT and no one wanted to play on a team with him.
He wasnt done dirty, he just reaped what he sowed.
Great nonanswer, Magic.
Magic is lying everyone knows magic didn’t want him on the team either
Low BodyFat that’s why he told them to move on with their lives.
wasnt Magic sleeping with dudes?
That has been revealed in the past. Not the dream team part but how their relationship went down hill when Isaiah clowned magic for having AIDS.
Anaheims Willy G: Yeah , probably was Isiah Thomas. Kissing on the checks before tip off in each game of their ship.
Thomas' big mouth got him excluded! If he wasn't so disliked by other players and even his own coach, he'd of been part of unprecedented history! ;-)
What Magic really meant: Isiah is a better shooter and can take over a game but we needed a pure point guard to pass us the ball. We needed the All Time Leader in Assists.
the picked scottie cause he was teamates with jordan and they picked stockton because he was teamates with malone. they were trying to win this thing carefully
@@plantoscloud1614 says who or is this just your opinion?
@@plantoscloud1614
Only thing that makes sense💡
Thought he was gonna answer the question
Great Politician
Isiah Thomas and John Stockton were very different players. It’s to compare an efficient hammer with an efficient screwdriver.
Both were very excellent players.
It’s a 50/50.
Shut up Max Stockton earned it and Ike did too. Christian Latiner was the guy that shouldn't have been on the team.
In the original argument, Max is the one that argued that Zeke should've been on the team, but not over Stockton. It was Stephen A and Jay Williams that said that Stockton shouldn't have been on the team.
And im a duke fan, always got respect for christian, but he aint no Stockton or def thomas
Chris Mullin?
Maybe you're too young to remember but in order to be on The Olympic Team you had to be in College. It's a PRO-AM event. They assembled The Dream Team because in 88', that was weakest team ever.
Oh, CHRISTIAN LAETTNER EARNED THE RIGHT to be on That Team. If ANYTHING, they shouldn't have never had PROS on The Team. Their were ENOUGH College Talent to bring A GOLD Home.
Is it me or the jerseys were just better back then..the Phoenix Suns Jersey was 1 of my favorites
The Suns always had nice jerseys. 90s Jerseys of the Rockets and Grizzlies also
Everything was better
Baggie jeans, blunts, basketball
Dody Banks Toronto
The jerseys were way better back then. They actually had character and were distinct from one another. Nowadays it seems like all the jerseys look the same, with no personality or design. I don’t know who decided all the jerseys should look bland, devoid of any type of style.
Wow! Never once answered the question. After all of these years, Magic’s refusal to answer THAT question to me, clearly makes him complicit. Now, Jordan has made it perfectly clear that he did not like Isaiah and didn’t won’t him on that team, but we now know after all these years, that it was Magic who also blocked Isaiah.
That they chose John Stockton over Isaiah Thomas is nothing compared to the fact that they chose Christian Laettner over Shaquille O'Neal.
Once again, this comes down to 2 people - Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas. It isn't a question of who was better between Stockton and Thomas, it was about some players not wanting Thomas on the team.
Thomas was a sore loser for walking out after being swept by the Bulls. It's a great thing he didn't make the Dream Team. Special person off the team. Good.
@@ThalassicMeasure The timing of when he walked off couldn't have been worse. He had no place on that team, even though his talent was there. He created his own issues.
Only Christian Laettner didn't hate him.
@@gungadin9686 Not even close but probably you are more suitable to talk about this that Magic.
@@ThalassicMeasure bird was a sore loser walking out on thomas in playoffs yet he was still allowed on the dream team. O yea he's wite tho. Nevermind👍
Simple, Jordan didn’t want him there
Yup. Weather he came right out and said it, or just insinuated it, we'll never know, but there's no way I'll ever be convinced that the reason Isaiah was left off the team was cause MJ didn't want him there.
And he'll never let it go ... EVER. MJ was my hero as a kid and I still love him, but nobody holds a grudge quite like Mike. He's a COMPLETELY different person than how he's portrayed in the media, and when you cross him or get on his bad side, he'll never, EVER, forgive or forget.
I agree ......it's what I've always said.
Neither did Pippen
He passed that question up like magic
Bottom line is that the bad boy and dirty image of Isiah which resulted in to MJ ,Pippen and Bird hating the Pistons, was the reason he was not the part of dream team. Adding Isiah in the team would certainly would have damaged the team chemistry.
Magic ✨ & Thomas lovers 4Life!!!
They need to have a round table discussion and or slap boxing match
i'd prefer the latter. My money is on Zeke!
Benjamin Dover i vote for slap boxing😂😂
I got Thomas all the way that Lil dude 👌
They need a table discussion!! It would crush the internet!!
@The Greatest Generation Jordan don't want no smoke....
Zeke pimp slapped and punched players much taller and bigger than your Jaundice (Jordan)...lol
Max's so-called 'questions' take an eternity for him to ask.
Tehui ge winds it into a gotcha and puts you on the spot for a hot take
It was a pretty good question though.
Tehui Stephen is even WORSE!! He’ll ask the same question 8 different ways before he lets you answer it
Jordan didn't want Isaiah on the team and that's the end of the discussion. Jordan got back his revenge on Isaiah for the freeze out he did to Jordan in his very first all star game. The conversation was recorded. They asked Jordan to be on the Dream Team and Jordan said, he's out if Isaiah is in. The world wanted to see Jordan and if they wanted Jordan they had to cater to his demand.
You ever watch that all star game? Jordan was NOT frozen out. Jordan had more shots in that game than established stars like Bernard King and others. At least look up the stats. Some Chicago Homer reporter cooked up that lie and Jordan ran with it.
There was no freeze out. Watch that all star game
Nonsense. There was NO FREEZE OUT! Jordan made that mess up as a way to self-motivate (a sign of mental illness, I should point out). Zeke didn't bow down to MJ and paid for it. Plain and simple.
@@overeasy4175 Chill bruh.... Yall MJ fans gotta stop lying....
Jordan is not the only player that didn't want Thomas on that team He was the biggest voice And I'm a Bull Fan
"Was he going to be a better teammate...?" That's the question. Team chemistry matters. It's obvious, Thomas would not have been welcomed with open arms in that locker room.
Headline should have said "Magic does NOT explain why Isiah was left off the Dream Team" - lol
Title of the video: "Magic Johnson explains why Isaiah Thomas was left off the Dream Team".
The one thing not talked about in this video: Why Isaiah Thomas was left off the Dream Team.
Come on man facts
Solid
Magic gets the question, dribbles and passes!
Magic played a BIG role in that too. He and Isaiah had a beef concerning Magic contracting HIV.
Magic had nothing to do with it. Your comment is invalid.
Magic was MAD at Isaiah cause they were good friends, but Isaiah during an interview said and hinted what everyone thought after Magic's HIV coming out: how did he get it? NBA players' infidelity was no secret, but nobody within the circus ever publicly broke the bro code up until that moment.
@@radar0412 before he and Isaiah mended friendship. magic said it was him. Read the book. Radar whatever #.
@@toveycen4668 Magic has been all over the place. Magic's favorite word is " Yesint." 😂
@@radar0412 Magic did have something to do with it. Read the book: "When the Game Was Ours".
Magic didn't want Isiah on the team because Isiah spread rumors that Magic is bisexual. He admitted it in Jackie MacMullan's book
TheKingJason3 he lied about that
James Jenkis it was called the dream TEAM for a reason... Stockton was a TEAM player. Does having the all time record for steals AND assists mean nothing?!
Facts
And Isiah said that's how Magic got HIV
@James Jenkis true story Isiah Thomas lit up John Stockton for that dream team snub he gave Stockton 44 pts, the so called great defender had no answer for Zeke. Karl Malone had elbowed Zeke and cut his eye bleeding bad.
Zeke had to get stitches and to this day you can see the scar near his eyebrow, that shows you how much better Zeke was vs Stockton, Stockton teammate decided to give Zeke a elbow because Stockton could not stop him. Zeke was the better point gaurd and better player and better defender than Stockton. Stockton was still a very good point gaurd, but to me he is over rated. I like my Sixers Mo Cheeks over Stockton, but seriously they are both more comparable players, Cheeks and Stockton played the same way.
Magic. Well said. Wisdom
I remember an interview when I was a kid in which MJ said Stockton and Miller were among the best clutch players.
It doesn't matter what Micheal said,what we witness Isaiah do is what matters. When Karl Malone spit Isaiah's eye,it was because Isaiah was murdering John Stockton,he always murdered Stockton...there us no comparison whatsoever. So stop it w/the bs.
@@lonniesnow9584
So the opinion of the greatest basketball player in history who played with both players is not to be heard? Please kid. Tone it down and be objective in your comments.
@@istvandejesus No not@all when it's coming from a place of hate...genius!! Did you just totally ignore what Magic said? FOH ignorant little boy
@@lonniesnow9584
Jajaja
Man sorry for hurting your woke little self. God bless you.
@@lonniesnow9584
How was he killing him with a game that was 3 minutes old? The score was tied. How was he killing him?
how's that "respectful" to stock? i swear stephen a. sounds more ignorant every time he opens his mouth
how about they should've kept stock, taken isiah, and left out laettner?
Keeping a an amateur player was a requirement. And at the time Christian Laettner was the most experienced (on an international level) and talented of the college players (even over Shaq at the time). As far I know alot of players in the squad did'nt want Isiah because of his reputation with the badboys and apparently many thought he would be bad for the team chemistry, but Jordan took the blame solely for that. IMO the '92 dream was the perfect squad.
They needed an amateur in the team.. the real question about Laetner is why did they gave him the spot instead of Shaq..
@@SomalieDXB it wasn't a requirement by the international Olympic committee, it was required by the US Olympic committee specifically to put laettner on the squad.
@Alexis Paquet two different types of players. I have no doubt that had Isaiah Thomas had wished to be the alltime nba assist leader he would have been. He chose an nba Chip.
@Charles Wilkinson I don't remember the Jazz after Jordan's last year and I don't remember who won after Jordan retired. I am thinking the Jazz were on about the same timeline as the bulls because of their age. They would have had to win it one of the 2 years Jordan was out of the league. Isaiah or Stockton wouldn't have changed the outcome against the bulls, they couldn't have beat them. I still think the rockets were better too.
I was courtside for Isiah first pro game.
Pontiac silver dome.
It was the first time I saw a player crack a huge smile after a bad call.
Nuff Said!
It took Magic and Isiah 25 years to make up as friends and brothers. I dont blame him for matadoring that question.
He could just say yes, because we were young at the time and the competition was tough. It's not that difficult. A lot of people do it.
Right👍
In the “Miracle” movie it described the USA hockey team selection process. Olympic coach Herbal Brooks said
“I’m not looking for the best players, Craig. I’m looking for the right ones.”
Which is EXACTLY why it took a LITERAL miracle to beat the USSR team. If the USA had more talent they may have won without needing a miracle
IT and Shack were the right players to be on that team.
@@357Amun so you know better than the NBA personnel’s who chose the team?
@@jamesmurphy4089 of course
@@mg19cal I'm Canadian and even I know that the USSR team beat the NHL all star team.
By 1991-1992, Stockton was in the middle of a 9-year run of leading the NBA in assists, which started in 87-88........Isiah only led the league in assists once.....Stockton also led the NBA in steals that year, right before the Olympics.........and the Dream Team was already loaded with scorers and needed a great passer.
Stockton and Thomas were both LEGENDARY players!!!!!! They should have found a way to get them on that team 2gether
Magic: You see, there's a limited number of spots and we already have Laettner so ...
"I'm never going to take nothing away from John Stockton".... as I take away his spot on the 92 Dream Team.
LOL, nahh, should have taken christian lettinar's spot
@@shawntusa I'm WITH YOU IN THAT ONE
@@bobbymadera3234 he cant tho because laetnerr was the college spot
he didnt deserve it its the truth
In 19 seasons in the NBA, Stockton averaged 13 points 10.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds on 51% shooting. In 13 seasons Thomas averaged 19 points 9.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 45.2% shooting. This is what seals the deal for me:
Wilt Chamberlain: "I Would Start My Franchise With John Stockton." Over.
There's a lot of players that could have been on the Dream Team, Dominique Wilkins, Isaiah Thomas, Shaquille O'Neal over Christian Laettner, Clyde Drexler was almost left off, Hakeem Olajuwon, who was on the 1996 team etc.
Ive read numerous accounts where there was as many as 8 or 9 guys on the Dream Team that had issues with Isaiahs personality and thats why he was excluded. Not taking anything away from what he did as a player and I personally think he should have been included.
Nino Brown: What happened?... Huh? Don't nobody know nothin'!? LMAO
Good one
LMAO.......
Bro your comment is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thank you Magic for clearing this up. It's not a knock on John Stockton. He was a great player. Isaiah Thomas was just better. He earned the right to be on the Dream team. I'd bet they would have all been friends by the end of the Olympics anyway. Winning has a way of bringing people together.
In one interview he takes full responsibility for keeping Isaiah off the team and now he doesn't want to admit it. Stephen A. knows Magic was behind that even Karl Malone said he flat out didn't want Isaiah on the team, on ESPN.
They are throwing Jordan under the bus, They all didn't want Isiah on the team
They’re talking about Stockton not being on the team??? Bro CHRISTIAN LATTNER was the one who didn’t deserve to be on the team!!! Let’s be real here 🤦🏻♂️
Watch the dream team documentary so you'd know that Lattner may not deserve to be there, but to be able to comply with the rules, he needs to be there.
1 amateur player is required to be on the squad.
culturefreedom89 I hear what you’re saying, but Laettner was the superior college player.
@culturefreedom89 "My duty be to teach so keep yo pistol in yo pocket..."