Pistons Legend Given High All-Time Ranking Despite Being 'Overlooked'

Pistons Legend Given High All-Time Ranking Despite Being 'Overlooked' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With the NBA offseason in full swing as the Summer League has kicked off and teams still looking at the free agent and trade markets to upgrade their roster, it has allowed the media to once again dive into one of the most heated debates in sports.

That would be the greatest players in NBA history list as Bleacher Report’s NBA staff released their top 100 all-time list on Monday.

Among the players who made the list was Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas, for obvious reasons.

Bleacher Report ranked Thomas No. 27 on the all-time list and mentioned how he could be higher due to how overlooked he has been.

“Isiah Thomas is the player most often considered the overlooked greatest-of-all-time point guard,” Bleacher Report’s NBA staff wrote. “Thomas was the face of the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons, the nucleus of players who actually served as a Michael Jordan foil. That carries weight.”

Of course, Thomas is overlooked by many players, especially at the point guard position, like both Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry, both of whom were ahead of him on Bleacher Report’s list.

Despite this, there is no doubt that Thomas is one of the greatest point guards the NBA has ever seen and he is also one of, if not, the best Pistons player of all time.

During his 13 seasons, all of which came in Detroit, Thomas won two championships, one Finals MVP and was also a 12-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection.

Thomas and the Bad Boy Pistons were also known for their toughness and they were one of the only teams to challenge Jordan and the Bulls during their heyday.

Despite this, Thomas is still overshadowed by the other great point guards in league history, along with Jordan and Scottie Pippen due to the era that he played in, though he is one of the best guards in league history due to his skillset on the court.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.