Retired NBA players Charles Oakley and TIm Thomas. Photo Credit: Scoop B Radio
Tim Thomas tells Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson that Charles Oakley let him know the Chicago Bulls were going to buy him out of his contract at Michael Jordan’s party back in 2006. Press Play Below To Listen!
Retired NBA vet Tim Thomas is actually a good story teller.
In the past, Thomas has shared classic stories like the feuds with fellow retired hooper, Kenyon Martin while both on the court and even in nightclub.
We’ve moved past that, though!
Why, you ask?
‘Cuz Tim Thomas has funny Charles Oakley stories, too! And apparently Charles Oakley has Ms. Cleo future telling genes.
Appearing on the Scoop B Radio podcast, Tim Thomas recounts attending a card game party hosted by both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago 2006 that Charles Oakley was also present for.
At the time, Thomas had one season left on his deal that would have paid him nearly $6.5 million. Oakley let him know he would soon be leaving Chi-city!
Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley. Photo Credit: Pinterest
“MJ was hosting a card game so I went over there and all of the guys just told me: ‘hey man you’re not going to play here,’” Thomas recounted.
“Pippen was there, Jordan was there and Oak was really the one who told me.”
The Chicago Bulls were sculpting their rebuilding project that would see them draft Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah over the next couple of years and have both Vinny Del Negro and Tom Thibodeau guide the team as their head coach.
Thomas wanted to genuinely really leave a good impression with the Bulls, but no such luck. “I was about to be a free agent, so I wanted to showcase myself to get another contract,” he said.
“They got me just so that they could get me off of the books at the end of the year.”
Don’t feel too bad for Timmy.
Thomas got the buyout that Oakley predicted with the Bulls and he signed with the Phoenix Suns. While in Phoenix, he’d joined forces with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and then-Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Thomas would arrive in Phoenix shooting a career 44-percent. He came in averaging 11.9 points per game and in the 2006 NBA Playoffs, he’d make the shot of his career in game 6 of the 2006 Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
With 8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Thomas hit a game-tying three to tie the game at the end of regulation. In overtime of that game, he hit an important three-pointer late in the game to seal the Suns’ win. The Suns would go on to win game 7 and overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
The Suns would lose to the Dallas Mavericks in the next round. But it was Oakley’s honesty month’s prior at Michael Jordan’s party in Chicago that is the catalyst for making this story ultra-interesting.
“Everything worked out,” said Thomas.
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[…] given you the low-down on Charles Oakley’s GM abilities. While sitting with Scottie Pippen at Michael Jordan’s card game party Oak informed Thomas that the Chicago Bulls would waive him. And yup, it […]