The NBA wasn’t the most marketable league in the world leading up to the 1980s. And then, as a godsend to the league, came an always-smiling 6’9 kid from Lansing, Michigan, who had magic in his name and his game.
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Earvin “Magic” Johnson brought fresh life to the league and headlined “Showtime” in LA. The biggest show in basketball had a charismatic ringleader and the world flocked to watch.
And with his popularity in the limelight of Los Angeles came a reputation of a party boy to Magic too. Infidelity and stories of promiscuity surrounded Magic’s life, despite his marriage to college sweetheart Cookie.
After all this, came the shocking announcement of Johnson contracting HIV. At the time, when awareness and information regarding HIV/AIDS bordered on the fictional, Magic’s announcement stunned the world.
It raised a cloud of smoke around the superstar, which was expected. But that still didn’t stop Cookie Johnson from worrying about the possible backlash to the announcement.
Magic Johnson was at the receiving end of taboo treatment after his announcement, confirming Cookie’s fears.
Magic’s world turned upside down almost overnight after his announcement was made public. The backlash was severe and unsurprising, considering how awareness regarding HIV/AIDS was minimal.
Magic Johnson himself was unsure about the implications of contracting the virus at the time of his diagnosis. Johnson, however, made a sensible decision to learn about the situation that had taken over his life and only announce it to the public after he comprehended the gravity of the situation himself.
As revealed on When the Game was Ours, “Although Johnson had not contracted AIDS, only the virus that causes it, he knew so little about his condition that in conversations with Rosen he mistakenly kept referring to his illness as the fatal disease that was just beginning to creep into the public consciousness. An AIDS diagnosis would be an explosive story once the public became aware of it, and Magic wanted to keep it quiet until he knew all the facts. He needed to give his wife time to process what was happening. Cookie was frightened and upset and fretted about how she and her husband would be received once the news hit.”
The book reveals how Magic’s long-term partner, Cookie, was deeply affected by the situation and also in fear of the public reaction to the news being public. And all her worst fears may just have come true, with even Magic’s colleagues raising concerns arising from misinformation.
Karl Malone was amongst the set of NBA players who protested against Magic playing in the league.
While other NBA players did raise their objections too, Karl Malone’s public criticism was what grabbed public attention. Malone was the most high-profile player to raise his objection, and it “hurt” Magic too.
Cookie was right in assuming the worst. Malone’s protest highlighted the grave nature of the situation Magic found himself in. Magic, later, even admitted how enraged Malone’s statement made him. After all, the Lakers superstar’s forced retirement from basketball was triggered by such protests.
One can only imagine how things could have been had the world been informed sufficiently about the circumstances Johnson was going through. Skepticism from one’s own under such a scenario was certainly bound to hurt.
