NBA Legend Isiah Thomas showers praise on coach Mark Johnson's basketball legacy

Time of India

31-05-2025

NBA Legend Isiah Thomas showers praise on coach Mark Johnson's basketball legacy (Image Source: Getty)
Former NBA player and Hall of Famer, Isiah Thomas, who also led the team, Detroit Pistons back in the 80s and 90s, has had an experience with a very different set of players and environment.
In an interview, Isiah Thomas talked about how the NBA has changed in the last few decades, and credits coach
Mark Johnson
for his leadership and contribution.
How the NBA changed from the 80s
In an interview from 2023, Isiah Thomas opened up about several aspects of his life. He spoke about who he believes was the best defender and the rivalry between him and Scottie Pippen was developed. On the All The Smoke Podcast, he speaks up.
Isiah Thomas - Part 1 | Ep 176 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball
He said
, 'The eras are different, some people say the 80s was the best era for basketball, while some people have said the 90s wasn't one of the greatest eras of basketball, then, 2000s, as the rules started changing, and coaching schemes started changing, when you say the game has evolved, has the game really evolved? and what does that mean when we say it has? What has changed and the guy who doesn't get credit for changing the game in this so-called evolution of the game, his name would be coach Mark Jackson.
'
Further he says,
'Let me tell you how Mark Jackson changed the game, because he saw a guy named Steph Curry, and a guy by the name Clay Thomson, and Mark Jackson as a coach made it acceptable for Steph Curry and Clay to shoot from that range, people shot from the range, but people didn't do it as part of their offensive scheme.'
Who were Isiah Thomas' best defenders?
Much talked about rivalries were shaped by good games and brilliant results, that made the player focus on different aspects of the game. In an interview, Thomas opens about his rivalry with Scottie Pippen, despite the mutual respect they had for each other. Regarding who he believed were the best defender, Thomas named
Dennis Rodman
and Scottie Pippen. He said:
'As a defender, he doesn't get enough credit, when we talk about the greatest and best defenders that have ever played in the NBA, Chicago had two of them — Rodman and Scottie Pippen, Scottie was different, At his best, I may have to say that he and Rodman were the one-two best defenders to ever play the game. I want to give him his respect and his props. And then, as a facilitator, Scottie — he was the real deal.'
Also Read:
NBA Legend Charles Barkley Throws Direct Criticism At Karl-Anthony Towns' Face After New York Knicks' Game 5 Win Against Indiana Pacers
It has been a pleasure for Isiah Thomas to be able to see how the NBA has turned out over the years, for its fans, for the players, for the coaches and most importantly, for the teams.