“Good Wife is the Most Precious Treasure”: Magic Johnson Confesses His Deep Love for Cookie Who Stood by Him Even Through His HIV Diagnosis

Magic Johnson‘s sudden revelation of his HIV diagnosis and subsequent retirement from the NBA was a major shocker for the sporting world in 1991. Nobody had expected the Showtime Lakers legend to face such adversity right at the peak of his basketball career. While all hope seemed lost at the time, Magic always could fall back on his wife, Cookie Johnson, who was a pillar of support during this tough time.

One of the major reasons behind Johnson’s appreciation for his wife is Cookie’s unwavering support for him even after the HIV diagnosis. The book When the Game Was Ours vividly mentions how Cookie had an intuition about Magic’s diagnosis even before he had revealed the news to her. Though the news was devastating for both Cookie and Magic, she decided to stay with her husband and fought those tough times through the grace of god.

Almost 30 years later, Magic Johnson is still grateful to his wife for being by his side through the toughest times. In a heartwarming birthday wish to his better half, Magic endearingly wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) profile, “Proverbs 31:10 tells us a good wife is the most precious treasure a man could have, and I have the greatest! You’re a beautiful reflection of God’s love and light, and I am grateful that I get to live this life with you by my side.”

Read the full excerpt of Magic’s heartwarming wish to Cookie from his Tweet on X. 

Magic and Cookie Johnson have been together for an exceptional 32 years, with the couple recently celebrating their wedding anniversary last September. Together, the couple have three children- an elder son, Earvin “EJ” Johnson III, an adopted daughter, Elisa Johnson, and Magic’s child from his ex-girlfriend, Andre Johnson.

Magic Johnson was not always the ideal husband to Cookie Johnson

As an NBA superstar, Magic Johnson led a wild lifestyle which has been very well documented. When the news of the Hall of Fame point guard testing positive for HIV broke out, it was a shock for everyone in the sporting fraternity. The news laid bare the sexual promiscuity of Johnson’s superstar lifestyle, just eight weeks after he got married to Cookie.

Given the fact that Cookie was pregnant during the time of the announcement, Magic had put both himself and his family at a great risk. Additionally, Magic had previously broken his engagement with Cookie twice and even had fathered a child out of wedlock. While all of these incidents piling up took a toll on Cookie, she still remained a doting presence in Magic’s life.

Almost 32 years later, Magic and Cookie are living happily with each other today. The couple have stayed true to each other through the test of time. Like always, Magic never fails to convey his love for his wife, like he did for Cookie during their anniversary celebrations and now, for her birthday.