It depends on what you believe. What Magic Johnson says now or what was quoted in a book.
Sure, there is a lot being said by many news outlets about what really happened to keep Isiah Thomas off the Dream Team based on the documentary. Bottom line, no one will really know the truth. The story seems to change. A lot. Nothing illustrates this point more than Magic Johnson’s part.
In 1991 Johnson had released a statement saying that he was “very disappointed that Isiah Thomas was not selected.” However the biography “When the Game Was Ours,” a 2009 book collaboration with Jackie MacMullan, and Larry Bird, tells a drastically different story courtesy of CBS Sports.
"“Our relationship was really strained at that point,” Magic explained. “We didn’t speak for years, and Isiah knew why. He questioned me when I got my HIV diagnosis. How can a so-called friend question your sexuality like that? I know why he did it, because we used to kiss before games, and now if people were wondering about me, that meant they were wondering about him, too. “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.” “If you went strictly in terms of ability, then Isiah should have been chosen for the Dream Team. But Michael didn’t want to play with him. Scottie wanted no part of him. Bird wasn’t pushing for him. Karl Malone didn’t want him. Who was saying, ‘We need this guy’? Nobody. “Michael got singled our as the guy that kept Isiah off, but that really isn’t fair. It was everybody. We all understood the camaraderie wouldn’t be the same.”"
Thomas had his say at the time in this interview with Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen.
"“I’m glad that he’s finally had the nerve and the courage to stand up and say it was him, as opposed to letting Michael Jordan take the blame for it all these years. I wish he would have had the courage to say this stuff to me face to face, as opposed to writing it in some damn book to sell and he can make money off it.”"
At this time, the distance between these two carried on for years. To the credit of these two, they mended their relationship in front of the NBA world in a Players Only broadcast on NBA TV.
If you haven’t seen this broadcast, please got to YouTube and look it up. It is one of the most raw and emotional things you can ever see. it is just as inspirational as anything you see on a basketball court.
Finally let’s go behind the curtain.