Chapter 23 Friendship Years_3

Thomas, Aguirre, and Magic Johnson were like brothers in arms, having all entered the NBA in the years 1979 and 1980 – Thomas and Johnson as first overall picks and Aguirre as the second.

Similar to Gan Guoyang, Barkley, and Jordan in 1984.

In the '84 Finals, after losing Game 7, Magic Johnson, due to flight issues, was forced to stay in Boston and witness the Celtics' victory parade.

At that time, Aguirre and Thomas went to the hotel in Boston to stay with Johnson and comfort him.

By 1989, Aguirre and Thomas ended up on the same team.

The hot-tempered Aguirre, once tyrannical with the Mavericks, immediately changed his behavior after joining the Pistons.

He became a self-described brick, moving wherever needed and following the coach's arrangements without question.

His playing time dropped from 34 minutes with the Mavericks to 29 minutes.