“You can just go by winning record, right?” – Isiah Thomas reluctantly included Michael Jordan in his top-five toughest-ever opponents

“Zeke” has a unique ranking system for his toughest opponents.

There isn’t much more that can be said about the rivalry between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan. If we are calling it for what it is, the two former superstars hate each other, plain and simple. Interestingly, there was a time during their career when they both held mutual respect and admiration for each other. Still, as we have learned over the years, it was fleeting once the duo met in the playoffs.

Despite the bad blood, and although their relationship feels fractured beyond repair, there are instances in which both Hall of Famers have to acknowledge they did compete against one of the all-time greats.

Whether Jordan digs at “Zeke” during “The Last Dance” documentary before giving him a nod for his toughness or Thomas accepts MJ got the better of his Detroit Pistons by sheer dominance in 1991, there have been glimpses of foundational respect on occasion.

In one instance, Thomas even listed “Mr. Air” as one of the five toughest players he’s ever faced.

Isiah’s choices

When speaking on the toughest players he’s ever had to face, we have to remember that Thomas suited up during an era that many consider the greatest we have ever seen.

For this reason, we can’t underestimate the abundance of choices at his disposal. Isiah matched up against the “Showtime” Lakers with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, witnessed Julius Erving’s greatness with the Philadelphia 76ers, faced the legendary Boston Celtics led by Larry Bird, and went toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan and the great Chicago Bulls.

So, when asked about who was the most difficult player to slow down, he took a unique approach to his choices.

“You can just go by winning record, right? Magic, Kareem, Bird, Dr.J., and then I would say Jordan,” he said.

A backhanded compliment

As we’ve established, despite their disdain for one another, Jordan and Thomas have an underlying appreciation for each other — but that doesn’t mean the pettiness ever has to end.

Yes, the two-time champ included MJ in his toughest-ever opponents, but his answer is also a backhanded compliment to the Bulls icon.

Going off a winning record is diabolically shrewd, given he is one of the few superstars in league history who has a winning record against Jordan when it mattered most. It’s a clever play on his part because not including MJ at all would have raised eyebrows and shaken his credibility, but providing his answer with the embedded asterisks covers all bases.

A testament to competition

Thomas’s picks also highlight how important the level of competition is when assessing where players rank all-time.

It’s hard enough to rank one superstar over another, especially if they played in different eras, but ranking based on relative competition is a logical starting point. While there are superstars across every era, it’s indisputable that there are varying degrees of greatness intertwined within them.

When objectively examining the debates through that lens, it’s reasonable to conclude that not many other all-timers faced a level of competition similar to what Isiah faced during his career.

In this way, his career feels somewhat underrated in the grand scheme of things. We often see his name mentioned in the best-ever point guard discussions, but we rarely see it thrust into any potential top-10 all-time list.

As we know, there are no set criteria, and it will always be a personal choice, but it’s perhaps an aspect of the argument that gets lost in the ring culture discourse, or how many MVPs a player may take home during his playing days.

To face such rich competition and still boast two NBA titles should be a story that writes itself. For Thomas to have gone head-to-head with the likes of Kareem, Jordan, Bird, Dr J, and Magic and still be a champion in that era, I think we can all agree is definitely not talked about enough.

As for his little masked insult dig at “His Ariness,” well, that feud isn’t going away anytime soon.