Isiah Thomas Ranks Michael Jordan as 5th-Toughest Player He Ever Faced in NBA

From 1981 to 1994, Detroit Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas produced two NBA championships amid five All-NBA nods and 12 All-Star selections. But there were a handful of players who challenged the second overall pick, including another all-time great. 

In an appearance on Shannon Sharpe's podcast, Club Shay Shay, Thomas ranked Michael Jordan as the fifth-toughest player he faced, after Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird and Julius Erving. 

While Thomas' interview may have touted Jordan's on-court skills, Jordan isn't so kind to Thomas years later. In his documentary The Last Dance, Jordan called Thomas an "assh--e," and there's a theory that the bad blood originated at the 1985 All-Star Game, according to Jerry Bembry of The Undefeated.