Isiah Thomas enjoyed holding up Crying Jordan head after Indiana beat North Carolina
The Indiana Hoosiers knocked off the North Carolina Tar Heels 76-67 on Wednesday night, and one Hoosier legend was on hand to rub a little salt in the wound.
Isiah Thomas, on hand in Bloomington as part of a ceremony honoring the 1981 championship team, proudly held up a Crying Jordan head after the victory.
Long time Michael Jordan rival Isiah Thomas held up a Crying Jordan head during Indiana’s win over North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/zqySNXtJN1
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) December 1, 2016
Thomas told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman on Thursday that it just happened on a whim, but he had a blast.
“There were two girls sitting behind me, two IU students, and one of them handed it to me,” Thomas said. “I knew the crowd would go crazy — and they did when I held it up.
“I love just being a fan. It was fun.”
There’s a lot at play here beyond the teams facing off and the ubiquitous meme. Thomas and Jordan have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to their playing days. You get the feeling that Thomas enjoyed this one a little bit.