They battled in some of the most epic NBA playoff series of the late ’80s, and they memorably expressed their friendship for each other with a playful kiss before the tipoff in Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals.
But apparently, longtime friends Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas are no longer buddies — in fact, Magic, in his new book, When the Game Was Ours, alleges that he and Thomas haven’t been friends in years. In the book, Johnson said the failed relationship with Thomas is “the biggest personal disappointment of my life … nothing else is even close.”
Magic expresses disappointment in what he perceives as the deterioration of the friendship over the years and makes several controversial statements about his former friend, most notably, Magic says that it was Isiah Thomas who began spreading rumors about his sexuality following his announcement in 1991 that he was HIV positive.
Magic also speaks at length about the controversy surrounding Isiah being left off of the 1992 Dream Team that featured some of the greatest players of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
It has generally been assumed that Michael Jordan and his long-standing ill will towards Thomas was the reason the point guard wasn’t included on the team. But Magic alleges that everyone — including himself — agreed that Isiah shouldn’t be invited.
“Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics,” Johnson said in the book, an advance copy of which was obtained by the AP. “Nobody on that team wanted to play with him. … I’m sad for Isiah. He has alienated so many people in his life, and he still doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand why he wasn’t chosen for that Olympic team and that’s really too bad. You should be aware when you’ve ticked off more than half of the NBA.”
“I’m just disappointed and hurt,” Thomas told the Associated Press on Oct. 22 before a promotional event for his men’s basketball team at FIU. “I never thought it was him who kept me off the Olympic team. That hurt.”
The book, co-written with Celtics legend Larry Bird, will be released on Nov. 4.
–todd williams
