“We had an incredible relationship. We used to do everything together back in the day, and then that kind of faded.” – Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas are two of the greatest point guards to ever lace up a pair of kicks and compete on the hardwood. Both were first ballot Hall of Fame inductees. Both were NBA champions. Both earned NBA Finals MVP awards. Both were named as part of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Back in the early 1980s, Johnson, the 6-foot-9 wonder kid, was tearing it up on the West Coast for the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, the tenacious 6-foot-1 Thomas was making a name for himself while getting buckets and dropping dimes in Detroit.
In the modern game, it’s not uncommon to see LeBron James (Cavaliers) and Chris Paul (Rockets) kicking it off the court. James close relationship with Dwyane Wade was a big part of the reason James took his talents to South Beach in 2010. Today’s players compete hard against one another on the court, but train, party and stunt for the ‘Gram together once the final buzzer blows.
Basketball in the ‘80s was different. Star players wanted their own teams. Rivalries ran deep. Players on opposing teams didn’t even think about fraternizing with each other during the playoffs.
That’s what made the bond between Thomas and Johnson so unique. For their first few years in the NBA, the two were seemingly inseparable off the court.
“[Isiah] and I went on tour with The Jacksons. We also did dates with Prince,” Johnson reminisced on NBA TV’s Player’s Only special.
“I can remember us sitting in the hallways and everybody saying, ‘You know they’re going to try to pull ya’ll apart. They’re going to try to separate you,’” Thomas recalled.
It should come as no surprise that the crack in Johnson and Thomas’ close friendship started when the Lakers and Pistons faced off in the 1988 NBA Finals. Johnson’s Lakers won a hotly-contested Finals 4-3. The next season, Thomas and the Pistons got revenge by sweeping the Lakers 4-0. Their battered friendship never recovered.
Rumors spread that Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson conspired to keep Thomas off the 1992 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team aka the “Dream Team.” According to Jemele Hill’s 2009 article Broken bonds: Magic and Isiah, Johnson believed that Thomas played a role in spreading rumors that he was gay or bisexual after Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he was HIV-positive. Despite publicly advocating for Thomas at the time, Johnson later admitted that he helped keep Thomas off the squad.
“Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics,” Johnson said in the book, When the Game Was Ours. “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.”
Thomas long-denied spreading the nasty rumors. In fact, he was one of the most vocal advocates to allow Johnson to play in the 1992 All-Star game after several players, most notably Karl Malone, openly worried that they would be susceptible to catching HIV by competing against Johnson. Still, it was clear that the close bond between the two superstars was finished.
“What’s sad is that the differences between two of the greatest basketball players ever have lasted 20-plus years, in part, because both men were too proud to squash them,” Hill wrote. “Fierce competitiveness made them phenomenal players, but it also ruined their personal relationship.
Now, more than 20 years after the retirement of two dynamic point gods, Johnson and Thomas decided to let bygones be bygones. Magic and Isiah are friends once again.
Amidst the ongoing fight for social justice, the poverty and violence that impact communities of color and the hateful, divisive politics that have divided our nation, it’s great that Johnson and Thomas were able to put their pride aside and come together. Besides, ongoing beef at 58- (Johnson) and 56- (Thomas) years-old is just plain silly.
“You and I as black men, as brothers, as friends, this relationship is important to our communities,” Thomas mused.
The televised reunion was emotional and compelling. Thomas was brought to tears after Johnson apologized for his part in the rift. They talked. They laughed. They embraced.
A renewed friendship between Johnson and Thomas is good for the NBA. Johnson is currently serving as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. Thomas works as a studio analyst for NBA TV. Their paths are bound to cross numerous times during the season. Instead of forced smiles and fake gestures, the embraces will now be genuine and the laughter legitimate.
As Christmas approaches, let’s hope that we can all open a big box of wisdom, forgivingness and maturity like Magic and “Zeke.”
Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays from In the Clutch!
Follow Ishmael on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
