In 1991, Magic Johnson was everything in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers’ star point guard was a leading scorer and the face of several major brands, including Pepsi, Converse and Nestlé. But all of that came to a stunning halt on Nov. 7, 1991, when he announced to the world that he had been diagnosed with HIV and would be retiring from the team he’d played for since 1979.
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But with the support of his doctors and his wife, Cookie, Johnson has been able to live with the disease once thought to be a death sentence (and play on a historic United States Olympic basketball team). Although his playing days are behind him, Johnson is a successful entrepreneur and mentor to a new generation of athletes.
This is the story of Magic Johnson, 34 years after the diagnosis that shocked the world.
An NBA Star
Earvin “Magic” Johnson was living up to his name in 1991, leading his Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA finals, where, unfortunately, they were defeated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
The Diagnosis
Johnson learned he was HIV positive after a routine physical in 1991. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, he said that at the time of his diagnosis, he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, so he was surprised when the Lakers’ team doctor asked him to come back from a road trip to Utah immediately, without giving him an explanation.
“I didn’t know. I wasn’t sick,” he said. “I walk into the [doctor’s] office and he started talking about the test, insurance company, you’ve got to take physicals. And then what came out of the physical was you have HIV.”
What Does This Mean?
Johnson says he was devastated when he learned he had contracted HIV because, based on what he knew about the disease at the time, he believed it was a death sentence.
“I just lost it right there,” he told Gayle King in an interview. “You just sit there and say, ‘What does this mean? Am I going to die?’ because I definitely asked him that.”
The NBA star said his doctor told him that with the help of new drugs that were being approved to treat HIV, he had a chance to live for a long time with the disease.
How Do You Hurt The One You Love?
At the time of his diagnosis, Johnson was a newlywed, married for just over a month to his wife, Cookie. The couple, who had dated on and off since meeting at a party on the campus of Michigan State University in the 1970s, were also expecting their first child together — the now-well-known TV personality and actor EJ Johnson. For Magic, breaking the news of his diagnosis to the woman who had been in his corner for years was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.
“All that came crumbling down,” he told Oprah Winfrey in an interview. “And the worst thing about it is I knew I was gonna hurt her, because she had waited for me, been patient with me, supported me, and now I’m about to break her heart.”
Beating it Together
Although Magic told Cookie he would understand if she wanted to leave him after learning he was HIV positive, he said she was determined to stay by his side, telling him that they were going to beat the disease together. Cookie supported her husband during the public announcement of his diagnosis, wearing a white suit to the press conference.
“I wore that white suit for a reason. I didn’t want to wear anything dark or black, because to me, it’s what it symbolized. The white suit to me symbolized brightness, like a future, basically positivity,” Cookie Johnson told Gayle King.
The Announcement
On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson stunned the world at a press conference at the Great Western Forum. Standing in front of a podium dressed in a dark suit, he announced his HIV diagnosis and his retirement from the NBA.
“Because of the HIV virus that I have attained, I will have to retire from the Lakers,” he announced.
Working With The White House
Shortly after his diagnosis, Magic Johnson was tapped by then-President George H.W. Bush to join a bipartisan National Commission on AIDS. But Johnson’s work with the White House didn’t last long. He resigned from the commission in September of 1992, accusing the administration of “dropping the ball” on the disease and ignoring recommendations on how to fight the disease, including drug abuse treatment, needle swap programs and increased education.
“A Conversation With Magic”
After revealing his diagnosis to fans, Magic Johnson wanted to use his platform to educate children about the disease. He sat down with Nick News host Linda Ellerbee for “A Conversation With Magic,” a primetime Nickelodeon television special in which he answered questions about HIV and AIDS from kids ages 8 to 14.
The NBA All-Star Team
Although he left the NBA at the end of the 1991 season, Johnson was voted onto the 1992 NBA All-Star team. Johnson led the Western Conference team to a 153-113 victory, scoring 25 points and hitting a three-point shot at the end of the game. As the final seconds ticked away, Johnson got lots of hugs from his NBA friends on both teams and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“This was the perfect end to the story. I’d been trying to write this story all week, and that was like I was at my typewriter and I said, ‘Here’s my ending. Period,’” Johnson said at the time.
The Dream Team
Magic Johnson made history in 1992 when he joined the Dream Team, the first United States Olympic men’s basketball team that included professional players. The team, which also boasted Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone dominated the competition at the Barcelona games and brought home the gold for the USA.
Looking back on the experience, Johnson said he loved the opportunity to play for his country and to inspire others.
“When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand,” Johnson wrote in a January 2020 post on X after Stern’s passing. “When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world.”
Not Everyone Was On Board
But while Johnson’s story inspired some, not everyone was happy about him playing the game while living with a disease few people truly understood at the time, including some of his fellow NBA players.
During an appearance on Club Shay Shay, Johnson confirmed to host Shannon Sharpe that Karl Malone publicly expressed not wanting to play with him after learning of his HIV diagnosis. Malone’s announcement was upsetting to Johnson, who felt the former Utah Jazz player could have handled things differently, expressing his concerns in private.
“Now, I just played with you, right in the Dream Team. I practice with you every single day, and now you don’t want to play with me?” Johnson said.
“Be The Man That I Married”
Johnson’s abrupt departure from the NBA took a toll on him. Feeling he had more years to play and more championships to win, he wasn’t ready for retirement. But after seeing him sulking on the couch for too long, his wife Cookie gave him the dose of tough love he needed, encouraging him to pursue some of the entrepreneurial opportunities he’d talked about before.
“The man I married was a hard worker, he was changing the world, he had all these ideas,” Cookie Johnson told Gayle King. “He was so full of life. I don’t know who this is. You need to get up and figure that out.”
That pep talk paid off, as Johnson’s impressive business portfolio includes ownership in several sports teams, real estate investments and technology companies.
Lakers History
On February 16, 1992, the Los Angeles Lakers retired Magic Johnson’s #32 jersey at a ceremony at the Great Western Forum, where he’d played countless home games since he was drafted in 1979 and led the Lakers to five NBA championships.
Larry Bird, Johnson’s longtime rival on the court, made the trip to LA to attend the ceremony, despite his doctor’s recommendation to rest after a back injury. Johnson shared his appreciation for Bird’s friendship and their on-court rivalry.
“I want to thank Larry Bird for making a special trip,” Magic said. “Too bad we couldn’t go on forever. I enjoyed so many of these battles. Thank you, Larry, for bringing the best out of Magic Johnson,” Johnson said in a speech that night.
“Everything is Great”
These days, Johnson’s HIV is undetectable, but in an interview with Gayle King, he said he still takes medication daily.
“A cocktail, once a day,” he said. “It went from three times a day, now just once. And so everything is great.”
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