Isiah Thomas: I've paid 'heavy price' for not shaking hands in '91 playoffs

With "The Last Dance" putting the spotlight back on the Detroit Pistons' handshake snub of the Chicago Bulls during the 1991 playoffs, Isiah Thomas said he regrets it and believes the incident affected his personal legacy.

After Michael Jordan's Bulls swept the defending champion "Bad Boys" in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals, the Pistons point guard and his team famously walked off the court without shaking hands with their opponents.

"Looking back, over the years, had we had the opportunity to do it all over again, I think all of us would make a different decision," Thomas said Monday during an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up."

Thomas added, "I've paid a heavy price for that decision."

Just over a year after that conference finals meeting, Thomas was left off the 1992 U.S. Olympic team despite his already Hall of Fame-worthy career.

"That hurt me, and looking back, if I'm not a part of the Dream Team because a lapse in emotion in terms of not shaking someone's hand, if that's the reason why I didn't make the Dream Team, then I am more disappointed today than I was back then when I wasn't selected," the 58-year-old said.

Thomas was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 after a career in which he won two championships, was selected to five All-NBA teams, and made 12 All-Star appearances. He still owns the Pistons' franchise records for career points (18,822) and assists (9,061).