Isiah Thomas never misses an opportunity to diss one of his old NBA rivals.
Speaking this week on NBATV, the retired Detroit Pistons legend reacted to the recent hot takes claiming Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo would not succeed in the old-school NBA. One such take came from Charles Oakley, who even took his shade for Antetokounmpo’s game a step further.
“Dude, Giannis going around Oakley,” said Thomas. “Giannis going around all them. He dunking on them. He bigger, he faster, he stronger. You can talk all that stuff ‘cause you don’t play no more. You can talk all that stuff ‘cause you got gray hair and sitting on the sidelines smoking cigars [talking] about what you used to do.
“That dude would dog you every single time you step on the court,” Thomas added. “Now, you may hit him hard. OK, alright, after you hit him hard you ain’t got no game. You ain’t got no game … You ain’t got nothing but a hit?”
"That dude would dog you every single time y'all stepped on the court."@IsiahThomas gave his take on whether or not Giannis would be a MVP in the 80s/90s on #Gametime. pic.twitter.com/6AGagbJUyC
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 1, 2022
Thomas is likely in the right here since the two-time MVP Antetokounmpo would almost assuredly dominate any era with his all-around skillset at 6-foot-11. But Thomas also probably relished the chance to clown his ex-rival Oakley, whom he battled with for many years in the Eastern Conference.
To his credit, Thomas is generally more gracious to the younger generation than many of his contemporaries. That said though, Thomas has a history of using praise for today’s players as a disguise for his personal agenda.
Photo: February 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NBA former player Isiah Thomas during NBA All Star Saturday Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
