Today is the 20th anniversary of Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s first retirement due to contracting the HIV virus. I remember the announcement vividly. I was in high school and it was report card day. The news floored everyone — students, teachers, custodians, etc. At the time, information on HIV and AIDS was relatively scarce. While it’s wrong to lionize Magic for the lifestyle that led to him to getting HIV, he should be lauded for helping educate the world about this deadly virus.
Before Magic’s announcement, I was woefully uneducated and uninformed about HIV and AIDS. Prior to Magic, the biggest celebrity that I can recall getting AIDS was Rock Hudson, who was way before my time and didn’t resonate with me. When I was a bit younger, my favorite uncle died of AIDS, but I was too young to really process any of it. Magic made HIV real for me. This was someone I looked up to — I marveled at Magic’s ability on the court and was charmed by his persona off the court. Like many other ignorant people, I didn’t realize that HIV could infect people that weren’t homosexuals or drug addicts.
After his announcement, a lot more information on HIV and AIDS became available. People started to learn about and understand the disease. People became informed about the ways you can and can’t get it (with the exception of that idiotic statutory rapist Karl Malone). People learned how to protect themselves from HIV infection. For a lot of people, the reason why they learned facts about HIV and AIDS was Magic Johnson.
Of course I have to mention an arguably off-color joke my friend Justin Killian made several years after Magic stopped playing. I distinctly remember spitting out soda when he said, “What the hell kind of HIV is that?!? I want Magic’s HIV that changes you from a point guard to a power forward!” I suppose the point being that prior to Magic, I thought that HIV was an automatic death sentence to AIDS. Again, I was ignorant and Magic helped me learn.
As you can tell, Earvin’s announcement had a big impact on my life. How about yours? How did you react when Magic Johnson announced that he had the HIV virus? Did you learn more about AIDS and HIV because of him?
I would have been 15 at the time. As a lifelong Celtics fan, I grew up hating the Lakers. But I remember this hitting me pretty hard. It was really the first time I remember a sports figure having some sort of issue like this. Usually if a guy made a huge negative news story, it was drug or injury related. But never due to health. I remember thinking the backlash at first was really unfair, and that if anything this was a man who needed some support.
I was upset there would be no more Showtime vs Jordan
If this is the 20 years then I would've been 12. I don't remember much just him crying at the press conference. AIDS awareness did steadily boom with him as a spokesperson.
I don't recall him crying. I remember several reporters crying, which I haven't seen at a press conference…until I attended Microsoft's.
Well at the time it was considered a death sentence. Who knew 20 years later he'd be doing NBA analysis on ESPN?
Part of that was a lack of information. A lot of people, probably including several of the reporters in attendance, didn't know the difference between HIV and AIDS.
Oh then I must be thinking about his interview after the all star game he played in.
I too was 12 at the time and I remember this going down, but it wasn't until Freddie Mercury died (the 20 year Anniversary of that is on the 24th of this month) that it really hit home for me.
Then Magic further opened my eyes with all the stuff he did since then. The man really did do alot for awareness. What gets me though, is why the hell did he stop? The only reason I can see is that he got some treatment that worked in South America or something and the FDA shut him up about it. Otherwise, why wouldn't Magic STILL be promoting awareness?
You think all those Magic Johnson's Starbucks, Magic Johnson's Fridays, and Magic Johnson Movie Theaters are going to run themselves?!?
:P
Actually… look where those business' are and what they do for the communities they're in. Nobody else was going to put a movie theater in ghetto except Magic. He created jobs, created activities for the youth, and stimulated the economy in areas that corporations wrote off. That's actually a really cool thing he did.
I can't knock his business ventures. It's actually yet another thing that makes the man an American hero.
I'm a huge fan of Magic's business ventures. Growing up, I always thought that Harlem had some beautiful buildings and that its rep for being dangerous was terribly overblown. Now it's just another fun part of Manhattan and one of the reasons why its rep (and economy) improved was Magic.
I've actually been telling a Magic Johnson story lately (and not the kind you pervs are thinking of).
My Mother-in-law loves playing Bingo. I went with her one time to San Manuel Casino. While we were there, the whole room picks their head up, turn towards the back of the room and begin to chatter.
Magic Johnson walked in with 4 huge casino security guards. Apparently he was there filming a commercial and they had him make an appearance in the bingo hall. The reason I've been telling this story lately, is because you could have put one of those security guards on another ones shoulders, and Magic STILL would have been bigger than that. I'm 6'3 and the dude towered over me.
The only other realization of how big people really are was when I was at Judgement Day '99 in Louisville KY and during the Rock/HHH Ironman match, they came into the crowd and into the row I was in.
The Rock was first, and I was thinking "Wow, you could probably fit 2 of me in one of his $500 shirts"…. but then HHH was standing next to me. I swear his left arm is almost as big as my waistline. You could seriously fit 4 of me in his shirt.