Le Basketbawl

Your Old Pal New York Vinnie wrote this a few weeks ago; not everybody grows up some people just grow old. New York Vinnie had to bring that phrase out again as a feud between two of the biggest names in the history of the NBA has both parties looking like a couple of Frickin overgrown babies. “Sports Illustrated” NBA beat writer Ian Thomsen is reporting that some airing of some ancient dirty laundry has two former close friends fighting a war of words.  And as far as New York Vinnie is concerned they both come off as nothing but a pair of childish PUDS.

The controversy erupted due to a soon to be published book entitled “When The Game Was Ours” a collaboration between Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and NBA writer Jackie MacMullen. Anybody that followed the NBA back in what New York Vinnie refers to as the “Glory Days” of the league realize that in many ways Bird and Johnson saved the NBA.

The NBA Finals was shown on a tape delayed basis at 11:30pm on CBS back in the early eighties because the sport was getting no ratings. However after the rivalry between Bird’s Celtics and Magic’s Lakers the NBA took off big time. They of course were later joined by a young man named Michael Jordan and the NBA became “Must See TV.”  

Excerpts from the book have been released to the press and the issue that is generating all the heat is Magic calling out his old friend Isiah Thomas in his account of the tail end of Johnson’s career. Johnson accuses Thomas of spreading rumors after the Lakers All-Star contracted HIV in the early nineties that Magic was possibly gay or bi-sexual. Johnson also reveals in the book that he was one of the forces that kept Isiah off of the first “Dream Team” which was the 1992 Team USA that won the Olympic Gold Medal in Barcelona that year. Prior to the excerpts being released Jordan was always blamed with keeping Thomas off the team.

Thomas of course is denying that he ever spread any rumors about Magic’s sexual habits. He also Thomsen that he was shocked when he read the excerpts. Isiah said “I’m really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years. I’m totally blindsided by this. Every time that I’ve seen Magic, he has been friendly with me. Whenever he came to a Knick game, he was standing in the tunnel with me. He and (Knicks assistant coach) Herb (Williams) and I, we would go out to dinner in New York. I didn’t know he felt this way.”

The former New York Knicks Team President and head coach believes that his former friend has been misinformed by those around him. Zeke told the magazine “I think Magic has been misled on a lot of things, and unfortunately this has been another one of them. I am hurt and disappointed that he has chosen to believe others as opposed to his closest friends. And I think you can go back and look in that era and see who his closest friends were, and who his closest friends are now. At that time, I don’t consider Lon Rosen to be one of his closest friends; he was one of his business advisers making money off him.”

Rosen is Johnson’s agent and according to the book had conversations with Thomas about Johnson’s sexuality. Thomas denies ever talking with Rosen about the subject; the agent says he and Johnson are stating that the information in the book is fact.

New York Vinnie is wondering why now after all these years is Johnson finally coming out with these accusations. Does he believe that it will enhance his image? Or is he that bent on destroying any credibility Isiah could have left by revealing this now? It truly does not make a whole lot of sense.

Magic Johnson was never a player that New York Vinnie was a fan of; however I have always held him in the utmost respect. But this incident takes away some of his shine in New York Vinnie’s eyes; I know that I will never have that same level of respect for him after this. This was ancient dirty laundry that should have stayed buried. No matter how much money he makes off this it will never restore his reputation.