A wise man once said, “The respect you show to others (or lack thereof) is an immediate reflection of yourself.” As I look at today’s world, there seems to be a lack of respect within a lot of people. Folks will disrespect their peers for having differing opinions, political views, or just because they think it’s acceptable. What people need to learn is that even though you may not care for a certain person, a level of respect should still be present. Two men that had to learn the importance of respect were NBA legends Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas.
Johnson and Thomas were two of the best basketball players in the world during the 1980s. Both men were inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in the early 2000s and rank as two of the top five point guards of all time.
Thomas put the Detroit Pistons on the map in the late-80s. Some of his accolades include: 12-time All-Star, three-time First Team All-NBA selection and USA player of the year. His biggest accolades came in 1989 and 1990 when he led the Pistons to the franchise’s first two championships.
Johnson was considered the face of basketball during the 1980s. Known as one of the top five players to ever play the game, his accolades include: 12-time NBA All-Star, nine-time first team all-pro, four-time NBA assist leader, threetime NBA Most Valuable Player, etc. His elite play led the “Showtime” Lakers to a dynasty as they won five championships in a 10-year span.
The two superstars were once the best of friends. They hung out and confided in one another. Neither one had a problem praising the other or helping the other take his game to the next level.
Their friendship would take a turn for the worst in 1988. In the NBA Finals, Johnson’s Lakers faced off against Thomas’ Pistons. The two went to war in search of capturing championship greatness. During that time, Johnson did not pay a visit to welcome Thomas’ newborn son. When Thomas sprained his ankle in game six, Magic refused to answer Thomas’ phone calls as he pleaded to use the Lakers’ training facilities. Thomas felt betrayed and the feud began.
Things became worse in 1991 once Johnson announced that he had contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). After this announcement, Johnson accused his oncedear friend of spreading rumors that he was either gay or bisexual. Due to people’s ignorance of HIV during that time, people thought that these groups were the only ones that contracted HIV. Therefore, the media ran with the rumor.
This led to Thomas not being selected as a member of the 1992 USA Olympic “Dream Team” roster. Magic Johnson has admitted that he was one of the reasons for Thomas not being selected. “Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics,” Johnson told ESPN writer Jackie MacMullan. “Nobody on that team wanted to play with him…Michael (Jordan) didn’t want to play with him. Scottie (Pippen) wanted no part of him. Larry (Bird) wasn’t pushing for him. Karl Malone didn’t want him. Who was saying, ‘We need this guy?!’ Nobody.”
The feud lasted for nearly 30 years with both men taking slight jabs at the other throughout that period. For a while, Johnson stated that he had no interest in having a relationship with Thomas.
This all changed in 2017. On an episode of NBA TV Players Only, Johnson and Thomas sat down and discussed their differences. The meeting ended with both men in tears as they hugged and apologized to one another. A respectful conversation brought a silly feud to an end and revived a great brotherhood.
With that said, I understand tomorrow is not promised to me. Therefore, one thing I do is try to treat people with respect and kindness. Yes, sometimes I have to interact with people who I don’t care for, but I still try to treat them with the same respect that I would want. To me, respect means that you accept somebody for who they are even when they’re different from you or you don’t agree with them.
Despite what we may view on our television or phone screens, it remains honorable to be respectful and wholesome to one another. Even when people may not see the world with the same vision as you, learn to agree to disagree and continue to grow as a society. There is no need to tear a person down or to be rude just because a person disagrees with you. Be respectful and treat others the way you want to be treated.
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