Isiah Thomas: Michael Jordan Should Apologize Publicly If He Regrets 'Assh--e' Remark

Isiah Thomas hasn't played in the NBA since the 1993-94 season, but his feud with Michael Jordan just keeps going.

Jordan didn't exactly hold back his animosity toward the Detroit Pistons star when discussing their rivalry during The Last Dance documentary that chronicled His Airness' rise to fame on the Chicago Bulls, and Thomas discussed as much during an appearance on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

"You got on national television, and you called me an assh--e, and then you said you hated me," the Hall of Famer said of Jordan. "You said that on national television. Now, if you didn't mean it, get on national television and apologize for it. Now if you meant it, let it ride as it is."

The rivalry between Jordan's Bulls and Thomas' Pistons was a major theme in the 10-part documentary, as they battled in the playoffs for four straight years from 1988 to 1991.

Detroit defeated Chicago in the first three of those matchups, but the Bulls earned some revenge with a sweep in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. That alone may not have been enough to stoke the flames of the rivalry decades later, but the Pistons famously walked off the court prior to the final buzzer in Game 4.

Jordan made it clear during the documentary he still wasn't happy about that, especially when comparing it to his own willingness to stay on the floor and shake hands with the Pistons after his defeats:

There may be no love lost, but Jordan at least partially credited the Pistons' physical style of play where they would consistently knock him to the ground and beat him up during a series for driving his decision to embrace weight training while discussing the rivalry in the documentary.

For his part, this is not the first time Thomas has brought up the "assh--e" comment.

In November, he shared comments he made to the Greek NBA rights holder Cosmote TV during the Abu Dhabi NBA games (h/t Eurohoops):

Ultimately, Jordan got the last laugh on the floor, as Chicago's 1991 Eastern Conference sweep kicked off a dominant stretch that allowed it to become one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.

The Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals and won six of the next eight championships as the decade's defining team.

Yet it is clear the last word is yet to be had in this feud if Thomas continues to bring it up in interviews.