It was an eventful day for the NBA, Magic Johnson, and the world on November 8, 1991. His retirement press conference was an absolute shocker when he announced his reason for stepping back from the sport.
Magic Johnson was 32 when he was diagnosed with HIV, and that led the point guard who had played 12 seasons with the Lakers to call time on his decorated career. His diagnosis was also the opening frame of the HBO sports drama ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.’
When he was told of his contraction, the immediate response was panic, and the Lakers star admitted to having felt like he had received a “death sentence.” According to ET Online:
“Think about it back then, announcing HIV — it most times was a death sentence.”
Johnson was infected in 1991, and this raised doubts regarding his future as an athlete. However, the former NBA champion survived largely due to his early diagnosis and advanced medicine, and soon after, he carved out a niche as a successful businessman.
Magic Johnson Taught An Important Lesson About HIV
According to The Guardian, Johnson disclosed that he had contracted HIV due to unprotected sex and revealed that the press conference evening was one of the hardest days of his life.
However, he did have a positive outlook during his announcement, where he imparted a rather important lesson about the disease.
“I think we sometimes think only gay people can get it; it’s not going to happen to me. And here I am saying that it can happen to anybody, even me, Magic Johnson.”
Per the outlet, he revealed how the doctors had educated him about his condition, and that calmed him down after the initial panic.
“At that time, when you got something like HIV, there were so many things I didn’t know, so they had to educate me about how the virus was going to act in my body, and what I could expect. They calmed me down because I was thinking I was going to die. They told me that the three-drug combination was going to save my life, and they were right.”
It’s good to see the five-time NBA champion active and on his feet, all the while flashing a million-dollar smile. And his lesson to the world still holds good to date.
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