Magic Johnson was one of the most popular players in the NBA during his career. Johnson brought a finesse and a flair that hadn’t been seen in the NBA up until his arrival, and he was able to change the game with his style of play. Magic was a tremendous athlete, and his charisma and charm made him one of the most endearing figures in the whole sport.
Magic Johnson once had an interview with Howard Stern, someone who had criticized his show in the past. During the interview, as Johnson told Variety, he wanted to hit Stern in the face for the things he was saying. Stern said a lot of controversial and offensive things to Magic, especially when it came to the subject of his race, and his battle with HIV.
“So many times, I wanted to say something and hit him at the same time – on air,” Johnson told Variety in a story published Tuesday. “I was mad when they booked him. … But there’s nothing you can do. When people look for ratings, this is what happens.”
The appearance immediately went south from the start.
“Let’s get right to it,” Johnson started the interview. “Why have you been talking about me so much, man?”
Stern replied that Johnson needed to “stop talking like the White man.”
“Listen, you’re a Black man. I grew up in a Black neighborhood,” Stern said. “I’m Blacker than you are, trust me. I’m the Blackest Black man you’ll ever meet. And I’m telling you right now, when I lived in Roosevelt, Long Island, which is a Black ghetto, everybody talked like this.”
“You had the life I wanted,” Stern said. “These were White chicks? Black chicks? What do we got? What did you prefer? So you would have sex with everybody? At least you had fun getting AIDS.”
Johnson corrected Stern, informing the radio host that he had HIV, not AIDS, while noting that “nobody has fun getting HIV.”
“Believe me, brother, you did. It sounds like fun to me,” Stern replied.
“I learned a lot from that,” he told Variety. “I’ve never put myself – or HIV and AIDS, or my race – in that position again, ever again.”
Quotes via: Fox News
Magic had every right to feel offended by the statements Stern made. Howard Stern had built a reputation as a ‘shock jock’, and much of the popularity of his show has been attributed to the controversial statements that he made on a regular basis.
Johnson’s battle with HIV was very tough. Magic had to retire from the sport due to his diagnosis, although he recently revealed that he does not regret his decision, as there was just not enough information about the disease for him to know the risks of continuing to play.
