Isiah Thomas ‘really hurt’ over criticisms in Magic Johnson’s upcoming book

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It appears Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas still have their differences.

Thomas told Sports Illustrated he’s ‘really hurt’ over criticisms about him found in Johnson’s new book, ‘When The Game Was Ours.’ The book, which will be released Nov. 4 and is co-written with Larry Bird and author Jackie MacMullan, deals extensively with the Lakers-Celtics-Pistons rivalry of the late 1980s and early ‘90s.

Thomas takes issue with several parts of the book, including how Magic opposed having Thomas play on the 1992 Olympic ‘Dream Team.’

‘I’m glad that he’s finally had the nerve and courage to stand up and say it was him, as opposed to letting Michael Jordan take all the blame,’ Thomas told SI.com. ‘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.’

The book also accuses Thomas of spreading rumors that Magic was homosexual or bisexual after Johnson announced he had HIV. ‘Isiah kept questioning people about it. ... The one guy I thought I could count on had all these doubts. It was like he kicked me in the stomach,’ the book says.

-- Austin Knoblauch