The legend of the 1985 NBA All-Star Game has followed Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan for nearly four decades.
Whispers of a “freeze-out” — a calculated move by veteran Eastern Conference All-Stars to limit touches and isolate a then-rookie Michael Jordan — have remained one of the most hotly debated narratives in NBA history. But former All-Star guard Micheal Ray Richardson, who was on that very squad, says he didn’t see anything of the sort.
In an exclusive sit-down on Scoop B Presents: The Freezeout, Richardson addressed the rumor head-on and shared his perspective on what really went down that weekend in Indianapolis.
“No! You know what? I don’t know where that rumor came from, but I didn’t see anything like that happen to my knowledge,” Richardson said bluntly when asked if he believed Isiah Thomas orchestrated a freeze-out.
A Rookie in the Spotlight
The 1985 All-Star Game was Michael Jordan’s first. He entered the league as a phenom, already electrifying fans in Chicago and across the league. But to the veterans around him? He was still just a rookie earning his stripes.
“He was a rookie, you know? He was out there getting his feet wet,” said Richardson. “He came in just like any other rookie, like a deer caught in the headlights, you know what I mean?”
Jordan wore gold chains in warmups and his own signature sneakers in the game — a bold move at the time. That flair reportedly rubbed some vets the wrong way, including Thomas. But Richardson, who had been around his fair share of intense personalities, didn’t see any drama play out between the two.
“No. I mean, from what I can remember, I thought that they were pretty cordial and cool, you know what I mean?” Richardson shared. “It wasn’t like there was a problem or they had a grudge or something. Now for as far as holding the ball from Michael Jordan, I never seen it.”
The Freeze-Out Myth
The so-called “freeze-out game” has grown into basketball folklore. The story goes that Thomas, possibly with support from other veterans, orchestrated a plan to keep Jordan from shining too brightly on the All-Star stage — particularly in retaliation for his brash style, confidence, and branding. But Richardson said the theory didn’t even come up until years later.
“When I first heard about it, it was years later,” he said. “And like I said, I didn’t see it.”
And what about the league’s other icons? Dr. J? Larry Bird?
“No,” Richardson said when asked if he heard any chatter from them about a freeze-out. “But I could understand why Isiah would want to freeze out Michael. I just don’t understand why he would, you know what I mean?”
That’s about as far as Richardson would go toward entertaining the idea — not confirming the rumor, but acknowledging that tension between generational stars wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Still, he maintained he never saw it unfold in real-time.
A Story That Stuck
Whether myth or fact, the idea of a freeze-out has stuck with Jordan for much of his career — fueling his legendary drive and arguably shaping his personal rivalry with Isiah Thomas. But Richardson’s account offers a different lens: one less rooted in drama and more in the reality of locker room dynamics and All-Star hierarchy.
From his perspective, Jordan wasn’t being iced out — he was just a rookie trying to find his rhythm on a team full of giants.
And in an era where narratives can become cemented as history, Richardson’s words are a reminder that sometimes the legend is bigger than the moment.
