6’9” Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas’ on-camera ‘kiss’ was inspired by Italian families’ traditions

Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas are two of the greatest point guards of all time, and they’re also two incredibly close friends.

Johnson was a force of nature when he played. In the 1990s, he took the Lakers back to the top of the NBA world alongside the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

They won five titles, and Johnson won three Finals MVPs. In his first Finals appearance, Magic filled in at center to fill the gap left by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s injury, and he dominated.

Thomas was no slouch either. Thomas lives on in NBA history as one of the greatest point guards to play the game. He won two NBA Finals, made the All-Star game 12 times, and is a member of the Hall of Fame.

Both of these Hall of Fame guards shared some tense battles on the court, including going at it in back-to-back Finals in 1988 and 1989, splitting the two series.

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Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas opened up about their kiss

While Magic and Isiah shared some intense battles on the court, but they also made sure to pay their respects to each other. This also included a famous ‘kiss.’

The two were spotted kissing each other on the cheek as a greeting. Usually players hug, give each other a handshake or high-five, or a chest-bump, but a kiss? That was something new.

The NBA world took notice immediately, and Magic’s head coach Pat Riley didn’t particularly enjoy it either.

However, Isiah and Magic had sound reasoning for why they did it.

So, yeah, it was just them trying to recreate Italian families’ traditions. Nothing more, nothing less. They were still able to go out and play ball against each other, and so what if it turned into a billboard in LA? They knew why they did what they did, and they weren’t ashamed of it.

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