Michael Jordan’s six-ring legacy was called into question by Isiah Thomas, and his modern comparison just reignited one of the biggest feuds

NBA legend Isiah Thomas is back in the headlines, doubling down on his controversial take that Kevin Durant could have won six championships with the 1990s Chicago Bulls, even if he replaced Michael Jordan. This isn’t the first time Thomas has stirred the pot regarding Michael Jordan. The two have been embroiled in a nearly 40-year feud, which reportedly began when Thomas accused Jordan of keeping him off the iconic 1992 Olympic Dream Team.

According to BroBible, just a few years ago, Thomas ignited a similar debate, suggesting that Jordan’s status as the greatest of all time should be questioned. He argued that modern players like Durant and LeBron James are so athletically superior that they would have dominated the ’80s and ’90s era. It’s a bold claim, especially considering how revered that era is.

Thomas was quite clear about his reasoning back then. “I think this generation [of players] is not getting enough credit for what they’re doing,” he said. “Because the athletes that are in this generation are so far superior than what was in my generation. [When we were playing], Jordan was the best athlete that we had ever seen, [but] from an athletic standpoint, there are like 10 or 11 guys in the NBA right now with Jordan’s athleticism.”

This is where the Jordan vs. modern era debate gets messy

He continued, “We didn’t have that back then. With what Kevin Durant and LeBron are doing, if you put them back in the era of the ’80s, with their talent, their athleticism, and their skill, who’s the GOAT?” This challenge to the established order highlights the ongoing legacy discussion, despite the fact that Michael Jordan sees the GOAT debate as an “empty comparison.”

Thomas didn’t just stop there; he really pushed his point during a recent discussion. He explicitly stated that if you swapped out Michael Jordan for Kevin Durant on those legendary Bulls teams, they’d still clinch six titles. That’s a pretty wild take, and honestly, it’s going to ruffle some feathers among basketball purists. He didn’t mince words, making his case directly to a panel.

“And I said this to Kevin Durant, and I’m going to say this to all of you sitting on the panel. If you put him back in our era, put him in that triple post, that mid-post area, take Michael Jordan out, and you give him Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoč, Dennis Rodman, B.J. Armstrong, and Craig Hodges around him,” Thomas said. He certainly painted a detailed picture of the hypothetical scenario, outlining the support system Durant would have had.

Thomas continued, answering his own question about championship success. “Would he have won six championships? Absolutely. You give him that system, that mid range post, and that ball is targeted to him every night. He’s getting 25 to 30 attempts. Yeah, he’s doing the same thing.” Thomas clearly believes Durant could replicate Jordan’s success in that structure, specifically noting Durant’s incredible efficiency since he doesn’t require 30 shots to dominate.

Durant is consistently putting up amazing numbers on just 17 or 18 attempts, which truly speaks to his skill and scoring prowess.