One of the fiercest rivalries in NBA history unfolded in the late 1980s and early 1990s between Isiah Thomas‘ Detroit Pistons and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. A defining moment of this rivalry occurred when the Bulls swept the Pistons in 1991, and Thomas’ team famously walked off the court without shaking hands with their opponents seven seconds before the final buzzer sounded.
The Pistons were vilified for their actions after Jordan publicly criticized them for poor sportsmanship and disrespect, particularly for not shaking hands before leaving the court. But in a recent interview on Come and Talk 2 Me, Thomas cleared the air about what happened that day and the tradition of post-game handshakes that followed.
“Up until 1991, when the Detroit Pistons got swept by the Chicago Bulls, nobody expected a handshake,” Thomas explained. “After 1991, and they said Isiah didn’t shake Michael Jordan’s hand, and Michael Jordan was like, ‘Oh, Isiah didn’t shake my hand,’ and they were crying about not getting their hand shook, that’s when everybody started—after 1991—shaking hands.”
Thomas continued to elaborate on the long-standing post-game ritual, stating, “When y’all would lose in the playoffs, the losing team, after everybody left the floor, they would come into the locker room and shake your hand and say good luck. It wasn’t a passing of the torch and everybody watching. That was such BS that they laid on me”.
32 years ago today, the Pistons walk off the court before the game is over after losing to the Bulls in the conference finals.
With his comments on Jordan and the Bulls, Thomas seemed to suggest that the friendly post-game handshake tradition emerged only after the 1991 sweep, fundamentally changing the dynamic between fierce competitors. This shift has not gone unnoticed, as other NBA legends have also weighed in on the decline of rivalries in the modern game.
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Magic Johnson echoes Thomas’ thoughts
In an appearance on Fox Sports’ Spark Podcast, Magic Johnson shared his own thoughts on the current state of NBA rivalries and the lack of competitiveness in post-game behavior, including the All-Star Game.
“Everybody is shaking each other’s hand, everybody likes each other, they won’t go at each other really hard,” Johnson explained. “That’s what happened to the All-Star Game. We hated the East. I’m coming to bust you, Michael, Isiah, Dr. J. You can’t have one over me—I’m coming to get that. Now it’s 200-200, what is that?”
Johnson on the decline of NBA rivalries
Johnson also discussed the loss of intensity in rivalries, particularly between the Lakers and Celtics, a rivalry that defined the NBA during the 1980s. “They don’t hate each other,” Magic said.
“I hated Larry and every Celtic. I really don’t like you, but you’re my little brother.” He added, “Now I love you because you’re out of that green and white. That’s what it was. The Celtics and Lakers hated each other. It made for great TV, and people tuned in.”
