Magic, Isaiah Fued Outlined In New Book

NFL News - October 23rd, 2009 - Written by John

At one point in their careers, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson were as close as two opponents could be, embracing each other publicly and working out together in the offseason. Somewhere along the way, the wheels fell off.

Their rocky past has been chronicled at-length in Johnson's new book "When The Game Was Ours", which, among other things, Johnson claims the strained relationship was “the biggest personal disappointment of my life...nothing else is even close.”

Thomas was left off the 1992 Olympic team and, in the book, Johnson admits that he had a hand in keeping him away. He also said the degeneration of their relationship was largely because of Thomas subtle jabs about his sexuality, questioning how he contracted the HIV virus. Thomas said Thursday that he was shocked by the written statements and feels like he was punched in the gut.

“I’m just disappointed and hurt,” Thomas told AP writers. “I never thought it was him who kept me off the Olympic team. That hurt.”

The book, co-authored by sportswriter Jackie MacMullen asserts that many of the members on the "Dream Team" didn't want Thomas on the roster, including Michael Jordan.

Johnson wrote, in part: “Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics. 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.”

It's not the first time Thomas has been painted in a villainous light. He has publicly quarreled with Jordan, among others and commanded two failed coaching gigs with the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. Many NBA Basketball franchises have since avoided him like vegetables, with his lone job offer coming from Florida International University.

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