Magic Johnson Despised Isiah Thomas — The REAL Reason Is SHOCKING

Magic Johnson Despised Isiah Thomas — The REAL Reason Is SHOCKING For years, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas shared one of the closest friendships in NBA history. They stayed at each other’s homes, traveled together, dreamed about business beyond basketball, and even greeted each other with their famous cheek kiss before games. But by the late 1980s, that brotherhood began to fall apart. This video explores the events that slowly destroyed their relationship — from the fallout surrounding Isiah’s comments about Larry Bird, to the brutal 1988 Lakers–Pistons Finals, Magic’s growing distrust, and the moment Isiah realized the door to Magic’s home was no longer open to him. The deepest break came in 1991, after Magic announced that he had tested positive for HIV. According to Magic’s later account, Isiah questioned people around the league about Magic’s sexuality, something Magic described as a devastating personal betrayal. The video argues that this became a major reason Magic supported keeping Isiah off the legendary 1992 Dream Team, even as Isiah publicly defended Magic’s right to play in the All-Star Game during widespread fear and misunderstanding about HIV. Isiah later denied spreading the rumor and said Magic had been given false information. Their feud lasted for more than two decades, becoming one of basketball’s most painful broken friendships. In 2017, the two finally sat face-to-face on NBA TV, where Magic apologized, called Isiah his brother, and the two embraced through tears. This is the story of how one of basketball’s strongest friendships collapsed — and how, after 26 years, the door finally opened again.