Scottie Pippen Reveals He & Jordan Wouldn’t Play on Dream Team with Isiah Thomas

NBA legend Scottie Pippen admitted in his book, "Unguarded," that he and Michael Jordan would not have played for the "Dream Team" if Isiah Thomas had been selected.

Unwanted Chemistry:

Pippen and Jordan were not fans of Thomas, who led the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons. Pippen wrote, “Much has been written over the years about why Isiah didn’t make the team. What is true, without a doubt, is that a number of guys wouldn’t have participated if he had been selected, Michael and me included. Looking at his numbers, it would be difficult to argue Isiah wasn’t deserving. Putting a basketball team together is about more than numbers. It is about chemistry, and with Isiah…the chemistry would have been horrible.”

Failed Truce:

Thomas tried to mend fences with Pippen in 2020 while "The Last Dance" was airing. Pippen shared, “In the spring of 2020, while the doc was being aired, Isiah was interested in the two of us declaring a truce. He reached out to B.J. Armstrong, who called me: ‘Would you be willing to talk to him?’ B.J. asked. Dude, are you kidding me? When I came into the league, he was never nice to me. Why would I want to meet with him now? Isiah is no fool. He knows better than anyone else how poorly he came across in The Last Dance, and with good reason. I wasn’t about to make it easier for him.”

Fans often wonder why old rivalries persist so long.

Back in 1991 during the Eastern Conference Finals between Bulls and Pistons—before Game 4 ended—Thomas and his team walked off without shaking hands after being swept by Chicago.

Public Feud:

In 2018 on The Players’ Tribune with Charles Oakley and actor Michael Rapaport interviewing them—Pippen didn’t hold back when asked about Thomas: “Don’t nobody know who he is anyway,” said Pippen in this YouTube video. “What am I gonna say? He’s a snake."

The "Dream Team" dominated at the 1992 Olympics going undefeated; they beat Croatia for gold .

Every player from that iconic team entered Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame except Laettner who shined only at Duke but not much later professionally.

Jordan-Pippen duo bagged six championships with Bulls whereas Thomas clinched two titles playing for Pistons.