Public Perception Of Hiv
One of the most important contributions Johnson has made to people with HIV is making people more aware and understanding of the virus. Johnson announced his retirement from the NBA and made his diagnosis public very quickly and then opened up about his experience.
“My ignorance could cost me my life, but I wanted to try and ensure that no one else would become infected with HIV for the same reason” Johnson wrote in Sports Illustrated on November 18, 1991.
“I said that because I had tested HIV-positive, I was retiring from the NBA. I also said that I was going to become a spokesperson in the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus and an advocate for practicing safe sex by using condoms. I also said I was going to beat the disease. And I will,” Johnson wrote.
He lived up to that promise by making regular appearances, giving interviews and being an activist for HIV and AIDS organisations. “Johnson went on to attack the HIV stigma with the same passion he displayed on the court, launching the Magic Johnson Foundation to raise awareness about the virus, then pushing Congress and the White House to spend money to fight the disease,” wrote Nelson Oliveira for CBS News .
How Has Magic Johnson Survived With Hiv
ByAdam Hadhazy, Jonathan Gordonpublished 4 March 22
Magic Johnson continues to live with HIV and is an example of how new treatments are improving people’s standard of life with the disease.
Magic Johnson is a former professional basketball player who was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus after a preseason physical for his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in 1991. On Nov. 7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson shocked the world when he announced that he had contracted HIV, the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome . At the time HIV was still massively misunderstood and stigmatised and there was uncertainty as to what this could mean for his future life prospects.
“Many people with HIV live many years with few serious effects on their health. The average period between infection with the human immunodeficiency virus and diagnosis of AIDS is now ten years, according to experts,” wrote Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times on Nov. 8, 1991, reacting to Johnson’s announcement.
Over 30 years later, the now-62-year-old Johnson is going as strong as ever in his roles as a sports analyst, businessman and HIV activist. In 1991, when most of what people knew about HIV/AIDS was that it led to death at a young age, this outcome might have seemed impossible.
Years Later He Reflects On Contracting Hiv
On November 7th, 1991, Earvin Magic Johnson sent shockwaves through the basketball community and the world when he announced his abrupt retirement from basketball due to contracting HIV. In an instant, the Los Angeles Lakers superstars life had transformed.
Speaking with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Johnson reflected upon his journey 31 years later, CBS News reported.
You just sit there and say, what does this mean? Am I gonna die?Johnson recalled.
At the time of his diagnosis, Johnson and many others believed his diagnosis was a death sentence.
I had to really learn a lot about the disease, HIV as well as AIDS, he remembered. I had to make sure that I was open-minded enough to ask a lot of questions and get a lot of information from different people.
As he prepared for the start of the 1991-92 NBA season, Johnson learned that he contracted HIV in a routine physical. After flying to a pre-season game with Utah Jazz, he was called back to Los Angeles so that Dr. Michael Mellman, the team physician for the Lakers, could give him the life-changing news in person. As expected, he was devastated when he learned of the news.
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He Is Very Charitable
Magic gives back in more ways than just providing shops in the inner cities and profiting off of them. Heâs also extremely charitable. The Magic Johnson Foundation has contributed over $20 million to various charities and provided $4 million in scholarships, according to CNN. And a significant portion of his donations go right back to those same communities where he provides businesses.
And then thereâs his HIV/AIDS awareness. Johnson didnât shy away from the disease. Instead, he spread awareness most importantly the truth of what it meant to have HIV and what you could and couldnât do. There were others before him with the disease who first put a face on it, but Magic showed that you can live with HIV, and his financial contributions have excelled the race to not only find a cure, but to enhance the lives of people living with the conditions. In fact, Johnson told the Los Angeles Times in 2011, that through his partnership with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, he helped open seven clinics where âpeople all over the country can come in and get their HIV meds for free.â
Magic Johnson Hiv Positive
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which weakens your bodys ability to fight off viruses and infections. If left untreated, HIV can develop into Aids , which can be life-threatening.
During a routine physcial examination before the start of the 1991 season, Johnson tested positive for HIV after taking three tests. In November that year, he announced his retirement from the NBA, effective immediately, aged 32.
It was thought there was a possibility that, if he had played on, he could have infected another player through an open wound on the court.
He would, however, play in the 1992 All-Star, where he was voted MVP, while he was part of the Dream Team at the Olympics in Barcelona alongside the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Larry Bird.
Johnson would later coach the Lakers in 1994 and returned twice more to playing, before finally calling it a day in 2000, 21 years after his debut.
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When Basketball Lost Its Smile: 30 Years Since Magic Johnson Retired Due To Hiv Diagnosis
Continues to be an ambassador for the disease
Thirty years have passed since Magic Johnson shocked not just the NBA world but the sports world when he announced that he would be retiring due to having tested positive for HIV, something which at the time was akin to a death sentence.
In a pre-internet and social media society, the news still had the power to shock on a wide scale and remains one of the most memorable moments in basketball history.
Johnson was 32 years old and at the height of his powers when he had to step away from the court. He would return for the Olympics the following year and attempt to continue his NBA career, but protests from his fellow players helped put paid to that.
âI think sometimes we think only gay people can get it,âJohnson told reporters at a press conference to announce his retirement in November 1991.
âI am saying that it can happen to anybody, even me.
âLife is going to go on for me, and Iâm going to be a happy man.â
Johnson went on to become a spokesperson for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.
Magic Johnson Opens Up About His Health Career 30 Years After Hiv Diagnosis: You Just Sit There And Say What Does This Mean Am I Gonna Die
When Magic Johnsonâs iconic basketball career was interrupted by a stunning HIV diagnosis three decades ago, the newlywed NBA legend had no idea how much time he had to live or how the virus would affect his wife and their unborn child.
âYou just sit there and say, what does this mean? Am I gonna die?’â he told âCBS Morningsâ co-host Gayle King.
Johnson, who remains HIV-undetectable to this day, opened up about living with the virus and his career in an exclusive interview for âCBS Morningsâ nearly 30 years after he publicly announced his HIV diagnosis.
Today, the Lakers star is a loving father and grandfather, a successful businessman, a philanthropist and the CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises. He and Cookie have been together throughout this time, and neither she nor their son, Earvin Johnson III, have HIV.
At the time of his diagnosis, Johnson thought the virus was a death sentence.
âI had to really learn a lot about the disease, HIV as well as AIDS. I had to make sure that I was open-minded enough to ask a lot of questions, go get a lot of information from different people,â he said.
Johnson first learned of his diagnosis after a routine physical ahead of the 1991-92 NBA season. He was called back home from a pre-season game in Utah, so that Lakers team physician Dr. Michael Mellman could deliver the news in person. When Johnson first heard the news, he was âdevastated,â he said.
His wife remembers that moment too.
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Theres Nothing Magic About How He Lives With Hiv
Magic Johnson has lived with HIV since 1991, which naturally hasnt come without a fair share of ups, downs, and unknowns. Speaking with Newsweekin 2011, Johnson, who at the time remained AIDS-free, offered some insight into his ongoing challenges. Ill hear people say every so often that having HIV must not be so bad just look at Magic and how well hes doing. Im blessed that the medicine I take really worked well with my body and makeup. It doesnt work like that for everyone. A lot of people havent been as fortunate as I have.
So how has the NBA Hall of Famer lived with a virus that many felt at the the time of his 1991 announcement was a death sentence ? Doctors put him on a new cocktail of antiretroviral medications in 1994 , which were, at the time, still being used in clinical trials, according to Spencer Lieb, senior epidemiologist and HIV/AIDS research coordinator for the Florida Consortium for HIV/AIDS Research.
While there is no cure for HIV as of this writing, Johnson has grown old enough to become a grandfather. It was such a special moment, to be able to hold and play with my granddaughter and see my son actually become this great husband and father, Johnson told Newsweek of the milestone. Man, you dont know I had to stop myself from tearing up, because who knew? Who really knew?
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Media Figure And Business Interests
In 1997, his production company Magic Johnson Entertainment signed a deal with Fox. In 1998, Johnson hosted a late night talk show on the Fox network called The Magic Hour, but the show was canceled after two months because of low ratings. Shortly after the cancellation of his talk show, Magic Johnson started a record label. The label, initially called Magic 32 Records, was renamed Magic Johnson Music when Johnson signed a joint venture with MCA in 2000. Magic Johnson Music signed R& B artist Avant as its first act. Johnson also co-promoted‘s Velvet Rope Tour through his company Magicworks. He has also worked as a motivational speaker, and was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years, before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN’s NBA Countdown in 2008.
In 1990, Johnson and Earl Graves Sr. obtained a large interest in the Washington, D.C. PepsiCo bottling operation, making it the company’s largest minority-owned facility in the U.S. Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers in 1994, having reportedly paid more than $10 million for part ownership. He also held the title of team vice president. Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010 to Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles surgeon and professor at UCLA, but continued as an unpaid vice president for the team. In February 2017, Johnson returned to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss.
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How And When Did Magic Johnson Gets Positive For Hiv
Shortly before the 1991-1992 NBA season, Magic had a normal physical exam. On October 24, 1991, he received a call from the Lakers doctors, requesting that he return home immediately.
Magic was in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the time, and the doctor refused to discuss it over the phone.
Magic was informed that he had tested positive for HIV upon his return. He was in disbelief at the time, so he requested two additional tests, both of which came back positive.
You simply sit there and think, What does this mean?’ Magic remembered his reaction. Am I going to die? He was also concerned about Cookie, his pregnant wife.
Fortunately, neither of them tested positive for the virus. Then there was the matter of informing the rest of the world about Magics diagnosis.
On November 7, 1991, he conducted a press conference. Prior to that, Magic made certain that some of his other players were aware of the situation by calling them and informing them.
Magic Johnson announced his retirement with immediate effect after testing HIV positive in one of the most momentous events in basketball history.
I plan on going on, living for a long time, bugging you guys as I always have, he said, optimistically. Ill be seen about. I intend to stay with the Lakers. Of course, Ill miss the fights and wars, as well as you, my friends. However, life goes on.
As a result, he was upfront about having numerous women during his playing career, and he was afterwards chastised for his promiscuity.
Rivalry With Larry Bird
Johnson and Bird were first linked as rivals after Johnson’s Michigan State squad defeated Bird’s Indiana State team in the 1979 NCAA finals. The rivalry continued in the NBA, and reached its climax when Boston and Los Angeles met in three out of four NBA Finals from 1984 to 1987, with the Lakers winning two out of three Finals. Johnson asserted that for him, the 82-game regular season was composed of 80 normal games, and two LakersCeltics games. Similarly, Bird admitted that Johnson’s daily box score was the first thing he checked in the morning.
Several journalists hypothesized that the JohnsonBird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flashiness and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit , and between blacks and whites. The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. Prior to Johnson and Bird’s arrival, the NBA had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings. With the two future Hall of Famers, the league won a whole generation of new fans, drawing both traditionalist adherents of Bird’s dirt court Indiana game and those appreciative of Johnson’s public park flair. According to sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN, Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy.
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Magic Johnson Announces He Is Hiv
On November 7, 1991, basketball legend Earvin Magic Johnson stuns the world by announcing his sudden retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers, after testing positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. At the time, many Americans viewed AIDS as a gay white mans disease. Johnson , who is African American and heterosexual, was one of the first sports stars to go public about his HIV-positive status.
Revered as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Johnson spent his entire 13-season NBA career with the Lakers, helping them to win five championships in the 1980s. The 69 point guard, a native of Lansing, Michigan, was famous for his extraordinary passing skills, contagious smile and love of the game. In 1981, he signed a 25-year deal with the Lakers for $25 million, one of the NBAs first over-the-top contracts.
Johnson, a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star team member, didnt completely hang up his basketball shoes after announcing his retirement in 1991. He was voted most valuable player of the 1992 NBA All-Star Game and played on the Olympic Dream Team that won gold for the U.S. in Barcelona that summer. He briefly returned to the Lakers for the 1993-94 season as head coach and made a short-lived comeback as a Lakers player in the 1995-96 season.
Magic Johnson: The Nba Superstar Who Smashed Hiv Stigma Then Built A Huge Fortune
He stunned basketball fans and transformed HIV awareness by announcing his diagnosis in 1991. Thirty years on, he discusses his relationship with Anthony Fauci, the meaning of money and why hes still optimistic
On 7 November 1991, a press conference in Inglewood, California, brought America to a standstill. Against a black-draped backdrop, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and multicoloured tie, Earvin Magic Johnson, spoke calmly into a single microphone and told the world that he had been diagnosed with HIV.
Cameras flashed and reporters clamoured to ask questions, but Johnson, National Basketball Association superstar and one of the worlds most revered athletes, appeared unfazed as he announced his immediate retirement. Had he grappled with his own mortality? When had he found out? How had he acquired the virus? What would he do next?
I plan on going on living for a long time, bugging you guys like I always have, he told reporters, his optimism surprising those who viewed his condition as a death sentence. I guess now I get to enjoy some of the other sides of living.
As we talk today, right now, Im thinking, Wow its been 30 years and Im still here, healthy. Everything has gone right. There was one drug then, now we have 30-something drugs, he says.
Dr Ho and Dr Fauci calmed me down, because I was thinking I was going to die
Without those two, he says. I probably wouldnt be here.
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