For many reasons, Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas is a controversial figure in NBA history. Ironically, his reputation had nothing to do with what he produced on the court.
Everyone universally agreed he was one of the greatest guards of his generation, an inspirational leader and a fierce competitor. Still, people always seemed to have a problem with how Thomas carried himself away from the hardwood.
Some of it involved spearheading one of the most intimidating and unforgiving rosters we've ever seen in the "Bad Boy" Pistons. This team rubbed the NBA community the wrong way with its approach to the game. The other side involved being the very public adversary of Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan, who was loved by most.
Being a Jordan nemesis was a brave alter-ego to embrace. Still, Thomas had no problem building a rivalry with a player whom many considered the greatest to ever play. It also had its perks, like openly omitting him from some of the lists he's been asked to speak on throughout his career.
One of those lists is the most dominant players of all time, and Isiah doesn't believe MJ belongs in that category. To him, LeBron James , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell are the most dominant players of all.
Leaving Jordan off any all-time list will always raise eyebrows, but that doesn't mean it can't be conceivably true. Five MVPs, 10 scoring titles and six Finals MVPs speak for themselves when thinking about individual greatness. Still, we need to consider a wide array of factors when dissecting the most dominant players we've ever seen.
For Thomas, at least, picking others over MJ isn't a public hate job; he genuinely believes James, Jabbar and Russell are more deserving of the dominant label.
"I say this with no disrespect to Jordan, and every time I say this, I get well, Isiah hates Jordan, doesn't like him, so on and so forth," he said . "It has nothing to do with it. What I'm seeing in LeBron James as a complete basketball player dominating this period of time. I haven't seen anybody else do that in the league with the exception of two people, and that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell."
It's no secret that Thomas has been an avid admirer of LeBron since his playing days. Not only does he consider James more dominant, but he also believes that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is the greatest player to ever play the game .
Of course, people point to Thomas's rivalry with Jordan as a reason for his judgment. Still, to his credit, Zeke has always done a great job of breaking down why he believes the superstar small forward is in a class of his own.
On this occasion, it was no different, as the legendary point guard spoke to LeBron's unique completeness as a player, allowing him to dominate the game in a way no one else has before.
"When you talk about a complete basketball player, LeBron James is a much better basketball player than Michael Jordan. Now Michael Jordan is a great scorer, and he dominated, and he did some things he has been criticized for not doing," he added. "But when you look at what he's does on the basketball floor: rebounding, assisting, scoring. No one has had this stretch of dominance in our league like LeBron James has had. Winning rings does matter because it's not just the statistical category, but it also means what you do when you get there."
As for the other names, Abdul-Jabbar and Russell, their claim to the "most dominant" label is also rock solid.
Russell remains the winningest player in league history after collecting 11 rings in 13 seasons, while Kareem has arguably the most impressive overall career anyone has ever put together, starting with being the greatest college player ever before ascending into an NBA Hall of Famer and holding the all-time scoring record for nearly 40 years. Throw in the record for the most regular-season MVPs that still stands to this day, and Kareem's case is as strong as any.
But even acknowledging that LeBron, Abdul-Jabbar and Russell are all worthy of being in Isiah's top-three most dominant players list, it inevitably leaves out two other names that many would consider atop any such list — Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain.
Between 2000 and 2002, O'Neal put together the most dominant stretch in modern NBA history by winning three straight titles and being crowned Finals MVP on every championship run.
As for Chamberlain, the numbers he put up during his prime still don't feel real, including a season averaging 50 points per game and a 100-point game on the resume. Both men were unstoppable forces of nature, clearly head and shoulders above the competition at the peak of their powers, and if that isn't dominant, it's hard to objectively agree what is.
Of course, not everyone can make a top-three; names will always be left out, but leaving out both Shaq and Wilt is not exactly a crowd-pleaser. Nevertheless, having James, Abdul-Jabbar and Russell are no dishonorable choices and all have a case just as much as Shaq and Wilt.
Glaringly, the obvious omission is Jordan — perhaps justifiably, perhaps not. In this instance, Isiah has done a good job of convincing us that his hatred for the Bulls legend was never an influence on his choices, and I'll let you decide if he's telling the truth or not.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
