Surviving 28 Years Later
On November 7, 1991 Ervin “Magic” Johnson announced at the Forum in Los Angeles, California, his immediate retirement from the NBA because he had contracted HIV.
During the early 90’s many Americans though HIV and AIDS were diseases in which were contracted between homosexuals. But Magic Johnson’s admittance drastically changed people’s perceptions.
Before Johnson, very few people were willing to come out publicly to admit they had the disease. One other person was Ryan White. Ryan White was a highschool student when he contracted the disease through blood treatment.
Once it became public that Ryan White had HIV, he was removed from high school for the fear he was going to infect the other students. This same fear existed in the NBA.
“Everybody’s talking about it. Some people are scared. This could be dangerous to us all, but you’re dealing with Magic Johnson, so people are handling it with white gloves. They’re not going to say how they really feel,” said Gerald Wilkins. Gerald Wilkins had a 14-year-career playing in the NBA. Wilkins thoughts and opinion were similar to those across the league.
Once Magic Johnson discovered that the disease was manageable, he made an attempt to return to the NBA. He first played in the All-Star game of the 1991–1992 season. He led the West to a victory over the East. In addition he won MVP.
Afterwards he got invited to play in the 1992 Olympics were he was part of USA team which later became known as the Dream Team. With the Dream Team he scored eight points a game along with five rebounds. With this he planned to make a comeback to the NBA.
But players were still not open to the idea of playing with Magic. So Magic placed his focus elsewhere.
Magic took this opportunity to become a shrewd businessman. He began buying movie theaters and then purchasing several Starbuck franchises. In addition he was a early investor in 24 Hour Fitness.
With all these business ventures Magic Johnson also started a foundation in which help individuals who have been infected by the HIV virus to afford their medication. He also became an advocate for safe sex practices and continuously help change people’s perception of the HIV virus.
28 years later Magic Johnson has had prominent roles in the Lakers organization, is the president of the Magic Johnson Enterprise and huge advocate for safe sex. It demonstrates that Magic has not allowed his past to define him.
Even since publicly coming out, Magic Johnson has established that he will not allowed HIV to define his life. He takes pride in what other hides. It is through this he not only a role model but a person who has display tremendous strength.
