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Earvin "Magic" Johnson was and is an idol of mine, I have no problem saying that. I grew up in the Los Angeles area and (this will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that truly knows me) have been a lifetime fan of the Los Angeles Lakers ever since I can remember.
I believe it goes back to the very early 1980's, one of my earliest memories was listening to the radio and the Lakers being upset by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs in 1981 when I was just nine years old. It was a huge upset, one of the biggest in NBA history, but it didn't stop there. The Rockets made it all the way to the Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics. Chick Hearn made that series against the Rockets come alive for me, he was probably the reason I am a die-hard Laker fan. The man was one of the best announcers EVER.
When Magic announced he was HIV positive, it occurred on November 7th, 1991, the day happens to be my birthday. At the time, I was on my way to cover a high school All Star water polo game for the Glendale News-Press. I was listening to the radio when the news broke and had to pull over and park the car because I was overcome with emotion.
It was a huge news story, not just a sports story.
I remember getting back to the GNP corporate offices and the place was abuzz with the news. The sports editor at the time (Keith Lair, a saavy and cagey veteran newspaperman) was stunned and dedicated a good portion of the front page to Magic’s announcement. It was huge for the GNP because it was a newspaper dedicated primarily to local high school and junior college sports. And an occasional Dodger/Angel/Rams/Raider game if a local pro athlete was playing.
As a lifetime Laker fan this was huge news and I'll never forget where I was headed when the news broke. At the time, HIV was thought to be a gay disease. Very little was known way back then and ignorance was rampant. Honestly, I thought he would die in the near future because HIV was still a relatively new development. Rock Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from the dreaded AIDS illness and it progressed rapidly. He was diagnosed with HIV in June of 1984 and passed away in October of 1985, it was a swift death. However, the advancements made in medical science have been miraculous and it's quite possible Magic can live the rest of his life with HIV and never develop full blown AIDS. And that's usually the end result when a lot of people think about HIV.
"You’re HIV-positive. You have the AIDS virus." That was what Karl Malone said. Magic has admitted hearing those words hurt.
He ended up retiring and leaving the sport and he left at the height of his playing days. He averaged 19.4 points per game, 12.5 assists per game, and 7 rebounds per game in 79 games, still All Star caliber numbers. He even upped them in the postseason, 21.8ppg, 12.6apg, and 8.1rpg in another 19 games. However, they lost in 5 games to Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls.
He returned to the sidelines in 1993-1994 for 16 games as the head coach of the Lakers after Randy Pfund was fired. They went just 5-11 during his tenure. Magic had a problem relating to players who didn't have his desire and work ethic, the age-old generational gap.
Unable to stay away from the game he loved so, Magic returned to the court in the 1995-1996 season, playing with some of those same players he had tried coaching a few seasons earlier (Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell, Vlade Divac, and Anthony Peeler). It was a four and a half year layoff and I remember the critics saying he was returning because he couldn't give up the game. Well, he re-invented himself as a 6-9, 250 pound bruising power forward who could score (14.6ppg), pass (6.9apg), and rebound (5.7rpg) off the bench as their primary reserve. He still had the same court vision to find an open player for an easy basket and he was a huge reason they improved from the previous season and won 6 more games.
Was he the same player? No, he wasn't nearly as quick, but but he was still a very good player and finished just outside of the top 10 in MVP voting. However, he had his share of critics, most notably Karl Malone.
Last year Jason Collins came out as the first openly active gay athlete and he signed a 10-day contract to play with the Brooklyn Nets, playing for them the rest of last season. Why do I bring Collins up in a story about Magic? Because, people may not say it but it's going to be in the minds of the ignorant and uninformed: Is he HIV positive or does he have AIDS? We've come a long way as a society but those thoughts are surely still out there. Like I said, nobody will say it for fear of the backlash but it would be naive to think it isn't on the minds of some.
I met Magic in 2004 when I worked at Bosley Medical (yeah the hair transplant place, I worked the graveyard shift) in Beverly Hills. I was in the elevator (around 7pm) and a it was getting ready to close. A hand entered the elevator and I pushed the open elevator door button and I was stunned when it opened. There stood a 6-9, 250 pound sports behemoth. He stepped in and smiled the way only Magic can and uttered, "Thank you."
I was absolutely speechless and just looked at him. He noticed and smiled even broader and I stammered, "I'm a lifetime fan of yours and the Lakers." He laughed and said, "That’s awesome." He got off on the seventh floor and I continued to my destination. Now, keep in mind I was no novice to meeting famous people, I had interviewed Tommy Lasorda, Jim Gott, Orel Hersheiser, Fernando Valenzuela, Bo Jackson, Napolean Kaufman, Brett Butler and many other athletes from my time spent at the GNP, but meeting somebody you had grown up watching and idolizing? That is something completely different. I met him a few more times over the ensuing years and each time it was like the first. He was incredibly humble and gracious each time I met him and spoke with him.
The player on the court was eclipsed by Magic the man. We all know about his amazing smile, his outgoing and gregarious personality and his kind nature. He believes in making a difference and giving back (he gives all the credit to his mom for this as he has said in many interviews), he has donated his time and money to the Magic Johnson Foundation, Keep a Child Alive, and Celebrity Fight Night Foundation (these are just a few). Not to mention, he has made a successful career as a businessman, he owned a movie theater in South Central LA, he has owned a Starbucks and TGI Fridays, several real estate ventures as well as being a minority owner of the Lakers for a while.
Many say athletes shouldn't be role models for young kids (including Charles Barkley), but I think Magic shows us that athletes can be role models if they choose to embrace it. Especially, with Magic and his refusal to give up despite his illness. Obstacles are temporary, Magic shows us living is what life’s all about.
I originally published this for another website last March.
I believe it goes back to the very early 1980's, one of my earliest memories was listening to the radio and the Lakers being upset by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs in 1981 when I was just nine years old. It was a huge upset, one of the biggest in NBA history, but it didn't stop there. The Rockets made it all the way to the Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics. Chick Hearn made that series against the Rockets come alive for me, he was probably the reason I am a die-hard Laker fan. The man was one of the best announcers EVER.
When Magic announced he was HIV positive, it occurred on November 7th, 1991, the day happens to be my birthday. At the time, I was on my way to cover a high school All Star water polo game for the Glendale News-Press. I was listening to the radio when the news broke and had to pull over and park the car because I was overcome with emotion.
It was a huge news story, not just a sports story.
I remember getting back to the GNP corporate offices and the place was abuzz with the news. The sports editor at the time (Keith Lair, a saavy and cagey veteran newspaperman) was stunned and dedicated a good portion of the front page to Magic’s announcement. It was huge for the GNP because it was a newspaper dedicated primarily to local high school and junior college sports. And an occasional Dodger/Angel/Rams/Raider game if a local pro athlete was playing.
As a lifetime Laker fan this was huge news and I'll never forget where I was headed when the news broke. At the time, HIV was thought to be a gay disease. Very little was known way back then and ignorance was rampant. Honestly, I thought he would die in the near future because HIV was still a relatively new development. Rock Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from the dreaded AIDS illness and it progressed rapidly. He was diagnosed with HIV in June of 1984 and passed away in October of 1985, it was a swift death. However, the advancements made in medical science have been miraculous and it's quite possible Magic can live the rest of his life with HIV and never develop full blown AIDS. And that's usually the end result when a lot of people think about HIV.
"You’re HIV-positive. You have the AIDS virus." That was what Karl Malone said. Magic has admitted hearing those words hurt.
He ended up retiring and leaving the sport and he left at the height of his playing days. He averaged 19.4 points per game, 12.5 assists per game, and 7 rebounds per game in 79 games, still All Star caliber numbers. He even upped them in the postseason, 21.8ppg, 12.6apg, and 8.1rpg in another 19 games. However, they lost in 5 games to Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls.
He returned to the sidelines in 1993-1994 for 16 games as the head coach of the Lakers after Randy Pfund was fired. They went just 5-11 during his tenure. Magic had a problem relating to players who didn't have his desire and work ethic, the age-old generational gap.
Unable to stay away from the game he loved so, Magic returned to the court in the 1995-1996 season, playing with some of those same players he had tried coaching a few seasons earlier (Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell, Vlade Divac, and Anthony Peeler). It was a four and a half year layoff and I remember the critics saying he was returning because he couldn't give up the game. Well, he re-invented himself as a 6-9, 250 pound bruising power forward who could score (14.6ppg), pass (6.9apg), and rebound (5.7rpg) off the bench as their primary reserve. He still had the same court vision to find an open player for an easy basket and he was a huge reason they improved from the previous season and won 6 more games.
Was he the same player? No, he wasn't nearly as quick, but but he was still a very good player and finished just outside of the top 10 in MVP voting. However, he had his share of critics, most notably Karl Malone.
Last year Jason Collins came out as the first openly active gay athlete and he signed a 10-day contract to play with the Brooklyn Nets, playing for them the rest of last season. Why do I bring Collins up in a story about Magic? Because, people may not say it but it's going to be in the minds of the ignorant and uninformed: Is he HIV positive or does he have AIDS? We've come a long way as a society but those thoughts are surely still out there. Like I said, nobody will say it for fear of the backlash but it would be naive to think it isn't on the minds of some.
I met Magic in 2004 when I worked at Bosley Medical (yeah the hair transplant place, I worked the graveyard shift) in Beverly Hills. I was in the elevator (around 7pm) and a it was getting ready to close. A hand entered the elevator and I pushed the open elevator door button and I was stunned when it opened. There stood a 6-9, 250 pound sports behemoth. He stepped in and smiled the way only Magic can and uttered, "Thank you."
I was absolutely speechless and just looked at him. He noticed and smiled even broader and I stammered, "I'm a lifetime fan of yours and the Lakers." He laughed and said, "That’s awesome." He got off on the seventh floor and I continued to my destination. Now, keep in mind I was no novice to meeting famous people, I had interviewed Tommy Lasorda, Jim Gott, Orel Hersheiser, Fernando Valenzuela, Bo Jackson, Napolean Kaufman, Brett Butler and many other athletes from my time spent at the GNP, but meeting somebody you had grown up watching and idolizing? That is something completely different. I met him a few more times over the ensuing years and each time it was like the first. He was incredibly humble and gracious each time I met him and spoke with him.
The player on the court was eclipsed by Magic the man. We all know about his amazing smile, his outgoing and gregarious personality and his kind nature. He believes in making a difference and giving back (he gives all the credit to his mom for this as he has said in many interviews), he has donated his time and money to the Magic Johnson Foundation, Keep a Child Alive, and Celebrity Fight Night Foundation (these are just a few). Not to mention, he has made a successful career as a businessman, he owned a movie theater in South Central LA, he has owned a Starbucks and TGI Fridays, several real estate ventures as well as being a minority owner of the Lakers for a while.
Many say athletes shouldn't be role models for young kids (including Charles Barkley), but I think Magic shows us that athletes can be role models if they choose to embrace it. Especially, with Magic and his refusal to give up despite his illness. Obstacles are temporary, Magic shows us living is what life’s all about.
I originally published this for another website last March.
