When Magic Johnson tasted victory in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with the Dream Team, he planned to stage a return to the NBA from his brief retirement. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar had announced his decision to leave the sport after he was diagnosed with HIV. However, the decision to return to the NBA wasn’t accepted by everyone and Utah Jazz star and Johnson’s teammate in Barcelona, Karl Malone was one of them. The 2x MVP publicly berated the three-time MVP, claiming he was endangering other players’ health.
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Then-Lakers guard Byron Scott was miffed by Malone’s stance. In the book ‘From When the Game Was Ours,’ he called out the Jazz star, saying:
“I was really ticked off at Malone. He had just played with Earvin in the Olympics.”
Scott claims Malone did not want Johnson to return because he was scared of the Lakers. He said:
“[Malone] knew the deal. He knew we had the best team with Earvin, and if Earv didn’t play, Utah would have a better shot of
getting to the Finals.”
In 1992, HIV was the second leading cause of death among men aged 25-44 in the USA. There were massive concerns about the disease in the early 1990s, and those were the primary reasons for Malone’s aversion. But it hurt all the same. Scott remarked:
“I couldn’t believe Karl would stab him in the back like that. I’ve never forgiven him.”
The Lakers won the Western Conference in the 1990-91 season. They were beaten in the NBA Finals by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. LA was in a good position to run it back the following year, but Johnson’s sudden retirement in November 1991 upended their plans.
In the following season, the Lakers finished with a 43-39 record and were eighth in the Western Conference standings. They lost 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs against Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. Malone and the Jazz made it to the Western Conference Finals and succumbed to the Trail Blazers in six games.
With Johnson back on the team, the Lakers could’ve been among the top teams in the West and disturbed the Jazz’s ascend to the top of the Conference. Whether that played a factor in Malone’s objection to his Team USA teammate returning to the NBA is unknown.
Malone’s comments affected Magic Johnson too. Speaking about the incident on the Club Shay Shay podcast, the five-time NBA champion said:
“Now I just played with you, in the Dream Team. I practiced against you every single day. And now you don’t want to play with me? I mean, against me? I was like, ‘Wow, you could have just said that to me.'”
Johnson wound up cancelling his return plans and stayed retired until 1996.
Karl Malone and Charles Barkley objected to Magic Johnson’s return to the NBA
When Karl Malone was asked about Magic Johnson’s return to the NBA in 1992, he did not mince words and voiced his concerns. He told the New York Times:
“I’m no fan, no cheerleader. It may be good for basketball, but you have to look far beyond that. You have a lot of young men who have a long life ahead of them. The Dream Team was a concept everyone loved. But now we’re back to reality.”
Malone’s concern that Johnson might accidentally spread HIV through a cut or bruise was a sign of the times in the early 1990s. The research around the virus was still in its nascent stage. The Jazz superstar’s misconception looks poor in hindsight, but undoubtedly plenty of people had the same concern.
While Malone publicly objected to Johnson’s return to the NBA in 1992, Philadelphia 76ers superstar Charles Barkley shared valid concerns about the Lakers superstar’s presence in the 1992 All-Star game. He told the LA Times:
“I have thought about picking up the phone, calling Magic, and telling him maybe he shouldn’t play in the game.”
Unlike Malone, Barkley wasn’t concerned about Johnson’s HIV diagnosis. Explaining why he did not want his Dream Team teammate to play, the 76ers forward said:
“[Magic]’s going to be the center of attention. I feel bad for the young guys because that should be their reward. It’s going to be a media circus, and that’s unfortunate.”
Barkley was right. Johnson hadn’t earned the opportunity to play in the All-Star game. However, despite not playing the entire season, the retired Lakers superstar trailed only Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler in the All-Star voting for guards. The fans wanted to see him play and the NBA obliged.
Magic Johnson put on a show, scoring 25 points and dishing nine assists in a 153-113 win for the West. He was named the All-Star game MVP. Maybe Barkley’s comments had something to do with Johnson’s incredible performance.
