NBA Legend Declined ‘Celtics City’ Series In Fear Of ‘Set Up’

Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas had an opportunity to partake in HBO’s “Celtics City” docuseries, but declined with no hesitation.

Thomas, an iconic enemy in Boston’s franchise history, would’ve been an ideal guest to welcome aboard. The 63-year-old rivaled the Celtics as a member of the Detroit Pistons in the 1980s but wasn’t confident in the intentions of the production. Thomas revealed that his trust issues spawned from his last major cameo in ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” which aired five years ago.

“I decided not to do the Boston documentary because of what (Michael) Jordan and ‘The Last Dance’ did,” Thomas told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “They totally set me up and blindsided me, and I wasn’t gonna get fooled twice. So I just decided not to participate in the documentary and be able to talk about it. But I wasn’t gonna go on film and sit there and be potentially set up again, like I was set up in ‘The Last Dance.'”

Thomas and the Pistons were featured in ESPN’s project, which covered Jordan’s six-title dynasty with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. The 10-episode documentary highlighted Thomas’ refusal to shake Jordan’s hand after Chicago eliminated Detroit in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals, along with his failure to make the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team. Those lowlights helped amplify the storyline in favor of the Bulls while also leaving a bad taste in Thomas’ mouth moving forward.

So when co-creators Bill Simmons and Connor Schell came together, Thomas was quick to reject their invite. HBO’s project still managed to gather a star-studded list of appearances from other Celtics foes like Jerry West and James Worthy, even though Thomas would’ve been a great voice to add to the story.

Thomas crossed paths with the Celtics in the 1985, ’87,’88 and ’91 NBA playoffs, losing the first two meetings with Boston.

The Pistons legend even feuded with Simmons, a former ESPN columnist and longtime Celtics fan, over a disagreement in the early 2000s. Simmons was critical of Thomas’ job as the general manager of the New York Knicks (2003-2008), and those words didn’t sit well when Thomas caught wind. Thomas made a talk show appearance with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and threatened Simmons.

“I used to make fun of him as the Knicks GM, and rightly so,” Simmons said during a 2016 interview with 105.1 FM’s “The Breakfast Club.”

Whether or not their past beef played a factor remains unknown. However, it’s unlikely Thomas will agree to participate in any non-Pistons projects in which the 12-time All-Star and two-time champion isn’t portrayed as the hero.

The first episode of “Celtics City” aired March 3, and the remaining eight episodes will continue to be released weekly until its episode nine finale.