Magic and Isiah Feud over Gay Rumors

Basketball legend Magic Johnson claims that NBA cohort Isiah Thomas was the person fueling rumors that Johnson, who famously announced in 1991 that he is HIV-positive, is gay or bisexual.

Johnson, in his new book with Larry Bird, When the Game Was Ours, alleges that Thomas spread the rumor throughout the league. "Isiah kept questioning people about it," Johnson says. "I couldn't believe that. The one guy I thought I could count on had all these doubts. It was like he kicked me in the stomach."

In retaliation, Johnson said he intentionally lobbied to keep Thomas off the 1992 Dream Team, which represented the United States at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and took home a gold medal.

"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," Thomas told Sports Illustrated.

Thomas and Johnson are known for sharing a courtside kiss on the cheek when their teams, the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers, faced each other in the 1988 NBA Finals.

When the Game Was Ours focuses on the top players of the game during the 1980s, a golden age in the NBA. It's scheduled to hit shelves on November 4.