Back In The Day NBA

There Was Only One NBA Great Who Beat Larry Bird, Magic Johnson And Michael Jordan

Shandel Richardson

Unknown Date; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Pistons guard #11 ISIAH THOMAS in action against the New Jersey Nets at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Photo By USA TODAY Sports (c) Copyright 1993 USA TODAY Sports
Unknown Date; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Pistons guard #11 ISIAH THOMAS in action against the New Jersey Nets at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Photo By USA TODAY Sports (c) Copyright 1993 USA TODAY Sports / RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Former Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas often gets lost in the mix when it comes to talking all-time greats.

Thomas has all the credentials. He's won titles. He's in the Hall of Fame. He's one of the 50 greatest players in league history.

Still, it seems something is missing. Does Thomas get his due? Does he get enough credit for his accomplishments?

Dan Dakich of Outkick.com recently took the issue to task. He made the case for Thomas being the best point guard of all-time.

"I'll fight anybody that says Isiah Thomas isn't the best point guard in NBA history," Dakich said. "Nobody went through Bird, Magic and Jordan other than Isiah to win NBA titles. I want you to think about that just for a second. Nobody did that. Nobody won like Isiah."

Dan Dakich stands on Isiah Thomas being the best PG ever 🤯 #fyp #nba #dandakich #isiahthomas #detroitpistons...

Posted by Entirely NBA on Friday, June 21, 2024

Dakich makes a solid point.

After losing to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics early in his career, Thomas finally knocked them off in 1988. It ended the Celtics' reign atop the Eastern Conference. At the time, Thomas was also in the middle of dominating Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons defeated the Bulls in the playoffs from 1988-90.

Thomas then completed the trifecta by beating Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals. Dakich made sure to let Thomas know this when he recently made an appearance on the show.


"I look at the world today and I say to myself, `Aight, a lot of great players but nobody did what you did back then,"' Dakich told Thomas. "Nobody did what you did. I say you're the best to ever play at the point guard position."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com