“I never knew this dude felt the way he felt until ‘The Last Dance,'” Thomas stated. “All these years you’ve been standing behind a tree throwing stones and letting someone else take the fall for it. Had I known you felt that way, I definitely would have treated you differently.”

Thomas: When we were all young and healthy – from 84 to 90 – the numbers speak for themselves. He wasn’t really my competition. My competition was Bird and Magic, trying to catch the Celtics, trying to catch the Lakers. Chicago at that time, and Jordan at that time, from 84 to 90, before my wrist surgery, he just – that wasn’t my competition.

"I'm a big 18-wheeler, and one of my wheels ain't workin'"... May 10, 2024 In fact, Thomas labeled Jordan the " best I've ever seen " towards the end of his playing career. "It's unbelievable in terms of his quickness, his strength, his jumping ability, his touch, and also his knowledge and understanding for the game.