By Alexander Tresniowski/Reported by Wendy Cole

It was an Olympic-size snub. Isiah Thomas, one of basketball's best guards, was not picked to be part of the collection of N.B.A. superstars set to play in the 1992 Olympics. The leading theory: a long-standing feud between Thomas and megastar Michael Jordan, who was picked for the squad. But Jordan insists, "I didn't have anything to do with the selection." And if Thomas is chosen to fill in for an injured player? "I'll play with him," says Jordan, "and I'll respect him as part of the team."