Pippen and several players on the “Dream Team” hated Thomas.

“As for Isiah, I asked Newton because he was someone I hoped would stay home,” Pippen wrote in his book. “No, he will not be on the team, Newton told me, and that was all he had to say on the matter. That was enough.”

Pippen, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did not want Thomas on the “Dream Team,” which consisted of Pippen, Jordan, Johnson, Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Christian Laettner and John Stockton.

“The Dream Team” went undefeated at the 1992 Olympics. The USA defeated Croatia in the gold medal game.

Every player on the “Dream Team” is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame except Laettner, who did not become a star in the NBA after being a dominant force in college at Duke.

“Much has been written over the years about why Isiah didn’t make the team,” Pippen wrote. “What is undoubtedly true is that a number of boys would not have taken part if he had been selected, including Michael and myself. Newton and other members of the committee knew how we felt. Not even Chuck Daly, the team’s head coach — and Isiah’s coach since 1983 — stood up for him. What does that tell you?

“Looking at his numbers, it would be hard to argue that Isiah didn’t deserve it. He was a 10-time All-Star, a two-time champion and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. However, putting together a basketball team is about more than just numbers. It’s about chemistry, and with Isiah on the Dream Team, the chemistry would have been terrible.”

Thomas was the leader of the “Bad Boys”. The Pistons used to hurt players on purpose, which is why the players hated Thomas and Co.

Detroit was defeated by the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Before Game 4 ended, Thomas and the Pistons left the field and did not shake the Bulls’ hands.

Pippen revealed in his book that Thomas, one of the best point guards in NBA history, reached out to him to try to get things right in 2020.

And as expected, Pippen wasn’t interested.

“In the spring of 2020, while the documentary was airing, Isiah was interested in the two of us declaring a ceasefire,” Pippen wrote. “He reached out to BJ Armstrong, who called me: ‘Would you be willing to talk to him?’ BJ asked. Dude, are you kidding? When I came into the league he was never nice to me. Why would I want to meet him now? Isiah is no fool. He knows better than anyone how bad he came across in The Last Dance, and for good reason. I wasn’t planning on making it any easier for him.”

Pippen and Jordan won six championships together with the Bulls, while Thomas won two rings with the Pistons.