In November of 1991, the NBA community faced one of its darkest days. The widely loved and immensely popular Magic Johnson declared his abrupt retirement citing a diagnosis that would shake the entire league. The great Earvin Johnson had been diagnosed with the HIV virus. Many players, with close ties to Johnson, believed it to be a death sentence.
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Back then, there was next to no awareness on HIV and AIDS. People not only ostracized HIV positives but also questioned their sexuality and their livelihood. While Johnson may have been a superstar, he wasn’t safe from the stigma the deadly virus carries still.
But fortunately, Magic overcame all the stigma, channeled his stardom, and became a champion for HIV and AIDS awareness. But even when Magic was waging through decades of hate and fear, his wife Cookie inadvertently angered activists with her interview.
Cookie Johnson angered HIV and AIDS activists
In the book When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird shared an intimate insight into their personal and professional lives. Naturally, it also detailed the most difficult time in Magic’s life – his HIV diagnosis. Until then Johnson had fought and won over many adversaries. But HIV was an adversary everyone believed he could never overcome.
Through a rigorous diet and physical regime, Johnson disproved all the athletes and pundits who had believed this would be the end of him. By 2003, not only was Johnson’s HIV completely under control, his samples found no traces of the virus in his body.
So, Cookie, in a published interview, stated god had healed her husband. She even claimed Jesus had healed her husband when doctors suggested the medicines had done a good job in keeping Magic stable. Cookie’s words led to immense backlash from activists across the country.
“Since his 1991 diagnosis, Johnson has maintained a rigorous workout schedule and a carefully monitored diet. In 2003 doctors told him there was no detectable evidence of the virus in his system, prompting Cookie to declare in a published interview, “The Lord definitely healed Earvin.” While Cookie noted that her husband’s physicians credited the medicine for his robust health, she said, “We claim it in the name of Jesus.” Her comments triggered an outcry from HIV and AIDS activists and the medical community. The message, they stressed, should not be that Magic was cured, but that his virus was dormant. They were gravely concerned that Cookie’s comments would impede the message of how to treat and manage HIV.”
Magic Johnson defended his wife
After the anger and backlash, Johnson had to jump into the foray to defend his precious Cookie. According to Magic, her words had been taken out of context. He clarified that Cookie had merely meant she feels her husband and healed, and in her heart, it was because of god.
But at the same time, Johnson also understood the backlash. He assuaged the situation by confessing his strict medicine routine and that he had never stopped taking the prescribed doses.
“People needed to look closely at what Cookie said,” Magic said. “She said, ‘I feel he is cured.’ She feels in her heart this is so, and God played a role in that. “I have my own faith, but I didn’t stop taking my medication. That’s what the AIDS community was worried about. Their fear was people would read that and say, ‘Oh, Magic says he’s cured, we can stop taking our medicine now too.’ “That wasn’t our message. We went out and corrected that little thing. We said, ‘Everyone is entitled to their faith. Please respect that.’ People calmed down once we clarified things.”
To be fair to Magic and Cookie, their belief shouldn’t have to face such scrutiny. Clearly Magic wasn’t a medicine denier. In fact, it was the contrary, Johnson spoke of what it had for him openly.
