Magic Johnsonin a soon-to-be-released book,Isiah Thomas said he’d had enough. And so he began to fight back.
“I’m really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years,” said Thomas. The criticisms are made by Johnson in When the Game Was Ours, which he co-wrote withLarry Birdand authorJackie MacMullan.
Magic addresses years of rumors by finally accusing Thomas of questioning his sexuality after Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1991. Magic also admits that he joined withMichael Jordanand other players in blackballing Thomas from the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, saying, “Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics. Nobody on that team wanted to play with him. … Michael didn’t want to play with him.Scottie[Pippen] wanted no part of him. Bird wasn’t pushing for him.Karl Malonedidn’t want him. Who was saying, ‘We need this guy?’ Nobody.”
