Thanks to Jeff Garcia for bringing up this story to me. And thanks to Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen for this story.
So Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are co-writing a book with Jackie MacMullan called When The Game Was Ours.
And, apparently, Isiah Thomas is NOT happy with all these accusations and claims made by Magic. The man is fighting back.
According to Magic's book (which is to be released November 4), there was quite a bit of Isiah-bashing in this book. Magic apparently was accused by Isiah of being gay in 1991 after Johnson was diagnosed with HIV. He joined Michael Jordan and company on the blackballing of Isiah for the 1992 Dream Team. And, supposedly, the Lakers didn't let Isiah use the Lakers' training facility when he suffered a sprained ankle in the 1988 Finals when it was Detroit Vs L.A.
And there's more.
*Magic said he consoled Isiah after the famous Game 5 turnover in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Isiah said it was Bill Russell that reached out to him, not Magic.
*Magic claimed (and reported by media outlets) that he helped Isiah get hired by the New York Knicks in 2003. Isiah claims it's all false.
*Magic's relationship with Jordan was supposedly never the same after the "Jordan freeze-out" in the 1985 All-Star Game. Johnson said he had nothing to do with it. It left Isiah Thomas as the culprit.
*Isiah then claims that Magic hated Larry Bird. And that Magic tried to make other people hate Bird.
*Isiah's brother apparently had HIV before Magic did. Gregory Thomas died five years ago.
But yet, according to this S.I. article, Magic and Isiah saw each other at a charity event last August. Hmmmm.
I know Magic is all smiles and is a great P.R. person while Isiah Thomas hasn't exactly been a media darling throughout his professional career. And Isiah's made a few stumbles along the way (like accusing Bird of being overrated because he's white and, of course, the sexual harassment case). Interestingly enough, Bird didn't say anything bad about Isiah in the book. And it was Bird who fired Isiah as coach of the Indiana Pacers six years ago.
I really don't know what to say. I have heard many times during their playing careers that they've been very close friends. But when Isiah was struggling with the Knicks, I didn't hear too much about Magic supporting him... but then last year, Magic said that he wouldn't recommend Isiah for other NBA jobs.
I'm questioning Magic (and all "tell-all book" authors in general), though, on why he would reveal all of this in a book (yeah, yeah, sales but...). Especially since the man in question is supposedly one of his close friends. If he didn't like Isiah to begin with, he should've just told him to his face instead of embarrassing him in a book. I wouldn't do that to a close friend of mine.
But at the same token, Isiah said that he knew enough about the HIV virus that Magic wouldn't have had to retire from the game of basketball. Then why didn't he tell Magic about all of this before he made that famous press conference in Nov. 1991? Instead, he helped Magic get back into the 1992 All-Star game.
This is all baffling to me. How long has been this relationship tumultuous? Did it start breaking down around 1988? How much do we really know about this relationship? Is Magic really that good on putting up a front? I don't even know what to believe at this point. According to that Sports Illustrated article...
"You're talking about being two-faced? Magic says he put me up for the job, that he was showing up in hard times and telling me everything was OK. And I come to find out he's been the one stabbing me in the back. ... I'm really hurt and disappointed, particularly with the Olympic team, if he was doing that stuff.'' Isiah Thomas
It's really too bad that I had to read about this "he said, he said" crap. I already remember Isiah Thomas more for his failures as an executive, coach, and a commentator than his success in his playing career. I don't want to remember Magic Johnson as, according to Isiah, a two-face more than the man who, along with Larry Bird, revived the sport that we love to watch (and blog about) today.
ANOTHER TAKE:
Red's Army
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